suraj is a raw expression of resilience and history through movement — a series of paintings that capture the everyday women dancing beneath a radiant sun. The series reflects on the taboo of dance in modern times within Muslim culture and the quiet power of feminine expression that existed under Mughal rule.
The women in these pieces move with grace and abandon. Draped in everyday clothing and surrounded by warmth, they dance not only for art but for freedom — for the right to take up space, to feel the sun on their skin, and to move without apology.
The sun in these works is both witness and participant — a symbol of visibility, clarity, and rebirth. It illuminates the women's strength and their softness, reminding us that tradition can be both grounding and liberating.
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At its core, this series is an ode to heritage reclaimed, to joy as resistance, and to the luminous spirit of women who continue to move boldly — under the sun and into their own light.
azadi, the slogan for the Iranian protest movement for the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
this series of paintings, azadi, was for a Pakistani Independence Day Showcase at soho house in austin, tx.
azadi a reflection on the current state of women in Pakistan, the borderlands, the Middle East, the West, the World. azadi a series that intertwines image and word, movement and meaning. Women caught in quiet moments of self-expression, their bodies, gazes, and gestures echoing the strength and softness found in the lines of poetry they accompany.