Nayeema Ahmed, Care / Work

‘Care / Work’ is an exhibition of work by recent Northumbria University graduate, North East based artist, Nayeema Ahmed. A British-Bangladeshi artist whose work is rooted in an exploration of femininity and labour, her work spans a range of media and is often inventive in its nature. Growing up in a culture in which art is discouraged has influenced Ahmed’s playful outlook – with non-standard media common throughout her work. Ahmed’s work is often personal, interrogating her own relationship with themes such as gender, ethnicity and culture.

The ‘Givers’ series brings to life the faces of daily care through portraiture, a medium historically reserved to display nobility or fame. Each woman is depicted on kitchen roll, similarly elevating an everyday material used in providing care. The series is a reflection on the societal standing of women in the care industry, many of whom are immigrants.

A further series, ‘Mother’, is a reflection on the artist’s childhood and the intersection between Britain, South Asia and care. It is a deeply personal series which investigates what domestic care means to her. Each material used as a canvas – such as clay, tin foil, wood, sari fabric, plastic – is indicative of an aspect of motherhood in Britain or Bangladesh.

‘Changing’ is a screenprinted fabric installation, with six different colours of each length of material adorned with a range of motifs to represent the seasons of Bangladesh: Grishsho (Summer), Borsha (Monsoon), Shorot (Autumn), Hemonto (Late Autumn), Sheet (Winter), and Boshonto (Spring). The objects depicted are drawn from memories or feelings from the artist’s time with family in Bangladesh, and which serve as portrayals of the community-based care common in South Asian communities such as food, flowers and pots.