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Arts Seminar

Komal Shahid Khan, Visiting Artist, South Asia Institute Arts Program

Chair: Susan S. BeanChair, Art & Archaeology Center, American Institute of Indian Studies; Board Member, Textile Society of America; Associate, Peabody Museum, Harvard University; Senior Curator for South Asian and Korean Art. Peabody Essex Museum

Starting with an introduction and practices which lead to her specialization in Miniature painting, Khan will discuss how her work evolved over time, from traditional to conceptual and experimental. She will be talking about her Projects/ Series of Paintings, including: ‘Riddle, I call Life’ (2014), ‘Revelation’ (2015), ‘Aura’ (2015), ‘Her’ (2016), and ‘Imagined Immortals’ (2016).

She will show each painting briefly, commenting on individuals, society and the understanding of consciousness and unconsciousness and how her recent work is based upon what she calls “poetics of masquerade’’ in which the painted narratives are timeless and familiar.

Khan is a Visual Artist, based in Islamabad, Pakistan. She graduated from the University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan in 2012 and then did her Master in Fine Arts from Fatima Jinnah Women University Rawalpindi, Pakistan with specialization in Miniature Painting. On completing the degree in 2014, she scored Distinction and was awarded Gold Medal for herb Thesis Show in 2014. Since graduating, she started her career with Group Shows in art galleries in Islamabad/Rawalpindi and then moved on to Lahore and Karachi as well. She is presently teaching at the National College of Arts Rawalpindi, Pakistan, as a Lecturer. October, 2016 marks her First Solo Exhibition entitled as “Imagined Immortals” in Karachi, Pakistan.

Lunch will be served.

The South Asia Institute Visiting Artist Program hosts emerging artists at Harvard to engage with faculty, students, and the Harvard community.