I entered the glassed gallery at the SFU downtown building, welcomed by a veil of paper, lit and suspended into the air. There, swayed frozen the work by Minahil Bukhari. In her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduating exhibition, Minahil protrudes into the depths of history and heritage, tracing the matrilineal tree to Lady Fatima, (the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and Khadija), weaving her own ancestry, across time and continents. She plays with digital designs, capturing patterns of cultures familiar and forlorn, rediscovering and remoulding identity. Her piece, “I am Her, She is me”, transports us to a place we seldom visit, whether that is cultural and religious history or reflections deep within, questioning the holds of patriarchy that dominate the stories we are told.
Alongside her daring and innovative work, she is currently, in collaboration with Mustaali Raj, as part of a series, named “Line of Control”. The name alludes to Kashmir and its tumultuous borders between India and Pakistan. The two artists, Bukhari and Raj, presented their first installment of the project in August called “Birds of a Feather”, bringing two countries, India and Pakistan, divided by violence and Colonial injustice, through a common bird, Tota, a parrot. It was nostalgic for me because the parrot features in many South Asian childhood stories, which I recall affectionately. Accolades to Bukhari and Raj for bringing together peoples, who find themselves divided in the present political climate. The photography in the series by the two artists, from their respective birth places in India and Pakistan, is remarkable! Check out their website below to see some of their work. Keep an eye out for their next installment for the “Line of Control” series!
Line of Control series: https://www.lineofcontrol.org
Birds of a Feather: https://www.lineofcontrol.org/birdsofafeather
– Maira Hassan