Artwork Titles in Series

Series: This Heirloom

My paternal grandfather Chaudhry Habib Ali
standing in front of the Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri, India
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on watercolor paper

My maternal grandfather Rashid Ahmad Qureshi
seated in front of Delhi gate, Lahore, Pakistan
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on watercolor paper

My father Saleem Murtza as a young boy
in front of the Pearl Mosque, Lahore Fort, Pakistan
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on watercolor paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid as a little girl
Lord Ellenborough’s Folly on the Calcutta Course, India
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on watercolor paper

My paternal grandfather Chaudhry Habib Ali
in Lahore, Pakistan
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on watercolor paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid as a young woman
Bijapur Ibrahim Rauza Mosque, in India
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on watercolor paper

Embroidered dreams: My paternal grandmother Niaz Fatima
Newsprint, fabric and acrylic paint on illustration board inside antique wood frame

My mother Nilofar Rashid and her sister
Graphic collage on paper

My father Saleem Murtza – 1
Graphic collage on paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid – 2
Graphic collage on paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid – 3
Graphic collage on paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid – 4
Graphic collage on paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid – 5
Graphic collage on paper

My mother Nilofar Rashid – 6
Graphic collage on paper

My parents Nilofar Rashid and Saleem Murtza – 1
Graphic collage on paper

My parents Nilofar Rashid and Saleem Murtza – 2
Graphic collage on paper

My paternal grandfather Chaudhry Habib Ali – 1
Graphic collage on paper

My paternal grandfather Chaudhry Habib Ali – 2
Graphic collage on paper

My maternal great-grandfather Adbul Majeed Qureshi
Graphic collage on paper

My uncle Eitizaz Hussein and my father Saleem Murtza
Graphic collage on paper

Series: Synthesis

Ibn-e-Insha
Inspired by Ibn-e-Insha, an Urdu poet and satirist famous for his travelogues, which are replete with colorful characters and places. Digital Collage, December 2004

Bumblebee
Conveys the hum and busy work of a bumblebee. Digital Collage, November 2004

Verdure
Digital Collage, November 2004

Lahore from a rooftop
Depicts a view of Lahore, from a rooftop. Flat and accessible, rooftops are an extension of living space in Lahori homes. During Basant, the kite-flying festival that celebrates the arrival of spring, rooftops are crowded with people flying colorful kites and enjoying lively soirees. Digital Collage, December 2004

NYC billboard
Evokes city billboards – chipped and peeling after years of usage, and layer upon layer of commercial messages. Digital Collage, November 2004

Sunset
Digital Collage, November 2004

Chandelier
Digital Collage, December 2004

The other side of the fence
A play on being engaged vs. just “sitting on the fence” and on how we build fences to keep what’s different out. Digital Collage, December 2004

Imagologues deconstruct woman
This Rorschach collage series was inspired by the word imagologue. Coined by the Czech writer Milan Kundera in his book “Immortality,” imagologue is a combination of image and ideologue. It encompasses advertising agencies, political campaign managers, publicists, and image consultants – entities that peddle image to the detriment of real content. This series looks at how women’s bodies, and in many cases their body parts, are used to sell products and services by manufacturing extrinsic value. Women are stereotyped as being aggressive, sexy, seductive or simply decorative in order to create a marketable image that transcends the actual nature and function of a product. Digital Collage, September 2004