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Display Gallery in collaboration with Asia House are pleased to invite you to 'A Seed Once Planted', a series of miniature paintings by our Pakistani gallery artist Maha Ahmed shown at the library annex of Asia House in Marylebone from the 18th to the 29th of April. The launch drinks reception will be held on the evening of Monday 18th of April, with a speech from the artist.
Much like the emergence of sand dunes, Ahmed's work attempts to create order out of chaos. It is continuously in progress, perpetually evolving. The shape and size of the dune isn’t entirely produced on its discretion; it is the direction and strength of the wind – external to its being – that acts as the decisive factor. The ephemeral nature of material is such that there is a small moment in which it can be controlled. Her intention however is to be a mediator between the medium and surface. In essence her work is pragmatic and practical, but her theoretical concerns lie with the constant awareness of the self in relation to the other.
Addressing the presence of another, standing on the outside, automatically exposes the self to a magnitude of interpretation and introspection. This empirical consciousness prompts the participation of an audience in her practice. She directs the viewer to question this unseen wall in both her painting and installation work. Miniature painting is amongst the richest cultural traditions that emerged at the time Mughals ruled the Indian Subcontinent. Akbar was the first Mughal patron of the arts. With Lahore as his principal residence, he commissioned numerous illustrated manuscripts that incorporate Persian, Indian and even European elements.
Maha Ahmed graduated from the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan. After receiving the Caspian Arts Foundation Scholarship, she completed her postgraduate degree in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She is currently living and working between Lahore and London.
Asia House
63 New Cavendish Street,
London, W1G 7LP
