Lotus Harvest

In Perfect Harmony, acrylic paint & mirrors, 80"x48"x2"

Breaking Up, acrylic paint, mirrors, glass, jewelry ornaments, 30"x30"x2"

The Kiss, oil paint & mirrors, 30"x30"x2"

The Orifice, oil paint & mirrors, 30"x30"x2"

In these works, broken pieces of lotus pods create new formations. The work is about renewal of life. Lotus is an ancient symbol of rebirth, and spiritual enlightenment. It grows from muddy waters but rises above the water’s surface, not touched by it, rising clean and pure toward the bright sunshine. Mirrors incorporate the viewer's reflection in the works. The lotus parts combined to form new wholes are set in squares that are representative of mandalas.

In Breaking Up, the pieces show the lotus pods from different perspectives. The Kiss has pieces leaning toward each other and fusing in the center, set in a geometric pattern of broken mirrors. The Orifice alludes to sucking of all vitality with the draining reds, and a struggle to escape with the pieces escaping and floating out. Broken parts coming together to form a new, more beautiful and complete whole set in a perfect square.

In Perfect Harmony was fashioned after Oriental rug designs. This painting employs the concept of rug designs, symbolizing the identity of a community through the use of metaphors and symbols that tell the story of a people. I used the lotus metaphor and designed the work to illustrate the peaceful state of reaching perfect harmony.

Embroideries

Breaking Up II, embroidery, needlework, beads, glass, 30"x30"x2"

The Kiss II, embroidery, needlework, beads, glass, 30"x30"x2"

The Orifice II, embroidery, needlework, beads, glass, 30"x30"x2"

I had the paintings replicated in hand embroidery and needlework. Needlework is one of the hallmark craft traditions of Pakistan and South Asia. Growing up, this is the art medium I learned in school and at home until I went to art college. These works show the parallel art media, the indigenous cultural craft paired with the traditional fine art medium of painting.