Alia Bilgrami participates in the 8th edition of the Kunstenaars in het Statenkwartier, a circuit of 32 artists’ open studios on 15th/16th April 2023, supported by the Kunstmuseum, Den Haag
During the event, Bilgrami will present over 30 new works, including miniature paintings created in a wide range of media: egg tempera and pure pigment on gesso panels, watercolours on paper and cyanotypes. Miniature painting remains a popular art form in South Asia, stemming from its deep cultural connection to Mughal, Indian and Persian historical paintings.
The techniques and style have been reinvented by a new generation of artists from Pakistan like Shahzia Sikander and Imran Qureshi, who have used its essence to create modern paintings and installations while retaining the aesthetic.
Most of Bilgrami’s works are no bigger than an A4 sheet with the same detail as Stormy Tulips, a triptych given to Mayor, Mr. Jan van Zanen of The Hague, NL, as a gift in 2020 (read article).
There are 8 larger, almost poster sized works. Originally produced during the pandemic, the landscapes on view are derived from the artist’s memories of home. Nostalgic and reflective, they evoke feelings of loss and isolation that were common during the lockdown and have lingered on.
Alia Bilgrami is a Pakistani/Canadian artist based in Den Haag since 2020. She completed an MA from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London (2010), where she won the Cecil Collins Memorial Award for Drawing. Bilgrami has shown work in many international exhibitions.
Solo presentations include Tulipmania at Rohtas Gallery, Islamabad and Out of the Forest at Koel Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan. Her painting, Diorama Desire, won the Sovereign Asian Art Public Vote Prize, Hong Kong (2015). In the Hague, she is a member of Stroom and has exhibited at Pulchri Studio in their Autumn Salon (2021).
Follow Bilgrami on IG: @aliabilgrami.art and her website: www.abilgrami.com
Kunstenaars in het Statenkwartier: https://www.kunstenaarsinhetstatenkwartier.nl/k-u-n-s-t-r-o-u-t-e-2-0-2-3/
