 I'm trained in two seemingly exclusive traditions, one Indian and Persian painting and the other contemporary Western tradition. My work draws from both as it attempts to reconcile the apparent stylistic and narrative gulf between the past and the present cultures. My paintings and drawings are built on multiple layers of fine cotton and mylar and sometimes on pale surfaces of acrylic paint and collage, in which texts and traditionally stylized miniature images intertwine. Dot-like patterns and thin horizontal and vertical lines of paint covering the entire surface suggest prison bars and yet they are also boundaries for protection. The subject matter in my paintings is often personal. The paintings, however, address the female body, power, silence, language, and vulnerability. Therefore, the subject matter is also universal. In my most recent paintings, the female is represented in the style of Kangra portraiture of the heroine, the Naika, serene and inscrutable, inviting the viewer and yet beyond reach. The formal structures of the paintings extend the metaphor of organic Kangra landscape as a place of defense, survival and escape, in which unlike the traditional Naika, she is no longer in romance but rather seen engaged in resistance to the colonizing of the body and later celebrating the sabotage. By situating the female figure in a personal as well as contemporary cultural and political context, my focus remains on redefining her identity under the gaze of a female artist. In addition to the figure, I also bring the thin horizontal and vertical lines from the painting onto the gallery walls, reminiscent of the decorative borders around the traditional miniature painting. The wall thus becomes a page and the narrative from the painting continues from one page to the other. This one and the next couple of slides, there are studies when I was learning the techniques of miniature painting back in Pakistan and the images have been taken from old masters paintings. And just to give you a little idea how the female figure was represented by those artists from different eras. So this particular one is from a late Mughal period. You can see how she's delicately draped around but still, you know, kind of provoke a certain kind of eroticism. Don't know the name of the artist, but it's from a Persian era. This one is an illustration of, sorry, I have to check my notes, of the legend of Sheerin and Fahad. You can see the Sheerin, she's just come out of a bath and coming in here while Fahad's riding through the horses and, you know, finds her in the middle of nowhere and falls in love with her. The next three slides focuses on ritual performance enacted by the female figure. They are all done on multiple layers of mylar paper that are stitched together. Each layer has been worked upon with dots of paint and lines and then the imagery is painted on top. Unlike the mythical or divine woman of the older paintings, here she appears quite realistic belonging to the world that we all live in. Her long hair that loops into a fishing pole and the fish are a matter of force for her being in charge of her own life for better or for worse. It's another one, approximately 17 by 15 inches and there are five to six layers of these mylar and each layer has been cut and painted upon and then stitched together. Same size from the year 2000, I think. I'm going to read a little poem, a part of the poem from a Sufi poet. This title actually, the title of the series is inspired by this poem. I must utter what comes to my lips. Speaking the truth creates chaos. Telling a lie saves one's scares. I'm afraid of both these. Afraid I am both here and there. I must utter what comes to my lips. 17th century Sufi poet, Bulesha. These works are a response to the events of September 11th and the effects of those events on individual lives. These are all done on a traditional handmade paper called Vasli, with watercolour and white gouache. Is it good? So 11 by seven inches on paper and from the same series, year 2000. And here the figure is used as a venue for the viewer to enter into the landscape. That's a metaphor for a place of defense, survival and escape. She's no longer just a female, rather a person that represents many feces of society. She appears in many different roles, a victim when she's dragged and lifted up by a group of birds and a presser when she targets the innocent with a gun. The background of this painting is done with small marks with tea and coffee. As you can see that clash of different versions of fanaticism resulting in the suffering of innocent. If you're not with us, you are with the terrorists. When this sort of reality hits you and you think you don't belong to either end, you're walking on a tightrope. Hand marbling on paper, handmade paper and then watercolours with tea and coffee. Homeland security. I think there's always this optimistic side of me, side of the artist that when you're going through the dark times and it still comes out in the form of painting or whatever you're doing. And then there's always the last one which is very hopeful. So this was I guess the last one of that series which I think was a very optimistic painting. The next one is a triptych. There is a deliberate effort to make them visually more poetic. It is easy to knit the narrative with the help of some familiar elements such as the colours of a sweatband and the burden she's holding on her back. And the birds are painted like warplanes. Here they are being nurtured by her. These are actually based on one of an old master from Safavid period, Sultan Muhammad, his paintings. It was very famous for making beautiful landscapes and Persian paintings. She strengthened her world and no longer need to feed the hungry birds. She can hunt for herself. The painting is built on small dots of paint. And this is the third of the triptych. As she turns her back and she stopped nurturing the birds, they colour darkens and they ambush her. This is an installation shot of a different series also from the year 2003 called what is past or passing or to come. These can be seen in the context of the gender power struggle. The female figure has much more resemblance to the Congress-style Naika. She's seen engaged in resistance to the vulnerability that comes along in the power politics. These are all done on multiple layers of mylar paper and here's much more visible because the way the mylar is placed. So each layer has been worked upon with graphite, watercolour, acrylic and then they're stitched together. You know, it's still very much inspired by the traditional Naika. Here she's appearing as a seducer. The domination question is still unresolved. This is the third one from the same wall. This is another wall from the same show, what is past or passing or to come. Again, these are also done on layers of mylar and with small dots. Each layer has small dots. The landscape's actually, the background's built with small dots and then the imagery is painted on the topmost layer. This is still the same series. I guess the power struggle never ends cleanly. This is still the same series, but different medium. That's just handmade paper with ink and wash. Basically just showing the different stages of the process of emancipation. Second one. Just two layers, both layers of handmade paper and ink and wash. How much emancipation is enough? I guess that's what it's questioning. She seems trapped in the idea of being free. Throughout the history of miniature painting, the role of a female has been very passive. She has been mostly represented by male artists and thus projects the image of a woman from their male perspective. We have great male heroes in legends like Amir Hamza, Rustam and Sohrab. The adventures have been illustrated in this traditional style of painting. But we also need as many women heroes as men to form an even and balanced society. The next and the last series I call I Need a Hero. In those, you will see the female figure in more action unlike the passive Naika. She's seen fighting the demons. She is a warrior and a survivor, but not a fictionalized version of a woman. In fact, she's a character who comes from a real person, a woman. The series is a homage to Mukhtara Mai, whose strength is no less than Amir Hamza of the old times. Her incredible story has inspired me to make my contribution to bringing a female hero into the history of miniature painting. I don't know if you're familiar with or you may have read about this woman who was gang raped in a village in Pakistan at the order of her local council as part of her punishment for her 11 year old brother's alleged affair with the woman of a higher caste. So basically, this whole series I Need a Hero is a response to that. And of course my own interest in bringing a female hero into this tradition which we never saw before. So these are all done on handmade paper called Vasli with vegetable dyes and watercolors and tea and coffee. And so I'm just gonna quickly flip through because these are all work and gold leaf. Sorry, I forgot one. Lairing of Mylar, that creates the depth by putting, well that's the whole intention to create that space by using only two dimensional elements. Okay, here the demons and the dragon symbolize the inner fear and the corrupt system. She seems suppressed by the demons and attacked by the hungry dogs around her. No one else is going to come and get her out but herself, her strength is everlasting. She appears from the mouth of a dragon with the sword in her hand. Her torn shirt is used in strangling the dogs that attack her. On a different end, she's still engaged in fighting the demon whose head she stands on. Since I'm flipping them very quickly, so I have to exactly tell you what's going on. This one is a triptych and you may have or you probably will see it's in the show. The first one from the three pieces. Here a group of other women serving as cheerleaders in support of the one who's trapped above. Gain watercolors with a gold leaf on Wesley. This is the second piece. This shows her being fearlessly standing on the dragon. She was trapped by and another part of her with her head sticking out, curiously trying to recognize the source of the trap. She has figured out the source and stands victoriously with it on the tip of her sword. This insecure and tiny little creature that has no strength of its own and uses the shell of a dragon to hide itself and manipulate it to victimize others. That shell of the dragon symbolizes the system that is created and then manipulated by us. There's some consequences to this sort of war and emancipation. Her life is not her anymore. She will always have to bear this burden of responsibility on her shoulders. There is a whole world now that looks up at her in inspiration. But I would still end here with Kishore Nahid, one of my favorite women rights activists and favorite poet from Pakistan with her words. No one speaks here. No one wants to know the words of speaking glances, the fish slipping from the hand turns fear into hate, the desire to see you silent, billows up even from the grave. But speech is urgent when listening is a crime. Now I can see expressions that daunted me strike fear everywhere. Thank you.