You who are my love and my life’s enemy too

2011

Imran Qureshi


There was a tragedy in Sialkot, Punjab, in August 2010, when two adolescents were murdered by vigilantes who were apparently in connivance with the police. Struck by this blunder revealing police corruption, the started a series of paintings on paper, You who are my love and my life’s enemy too, in which he expressed his reaction to this murder. At first glance the work appears to be a splash of blood like the one in this killing, but, close up, the composition reveals itself as meticulous floral motifs typical of the art of miniature painting which the artist teaches. This work has echoes in another piece which was presented at the 10th Biennale of Sharjah, Blessing upon the land of my love, in which he develops an installation in a similar modus operandi, this time referring to a suicide bombing that took place in the market the artist goes to. These distinctive works confront us with the same feeling the artist had confronted with such violence, here Imran Qureshi poetically attempts to find a way to expiate these violent deaths and suggest their impacts on the political and social situation in Pakistan.


Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi’s practice revives 16th century Mughal miniature painting. Qureshi’s work merges traditional motifs, symbols, and techniques with the visual language of abstraction to consider contemporary socio-political events affecting Pakistan and the world more broadly. Combining gestural abstraction with refined ornamental details, his practice shifts between figurative and abstract works on paper, monumental paintings, videos, and site-specific installations. Qureshi’s hybrid methodology often features gold-leaf and the color red as signature elements of his work, signaling the relationship between the celestial plane (immortality) and the human body (mortality).


Colors:



Other related works, blended automatically  
» see more

This Day
© » KADIST

Imran Qureshi

2017

At first glance, This Day by Imran Qureshi appears to be an energetic, gestural painting reminiscent of Action Painting from the mid-20th century...

Related works sharing similar palette  
» see more

War Footage
© » KADIST

Mauricio Ancalmo

2010

War Footage is a series of wall-mounted works composed of 16mm film leader, tightly bound to flag-shaped panels by the artist...

Cup of cheer: Holiday bars are popping up all over Pittsburgh
© » TRIBLIVE

Cup of cheer: Holiday bars are popping up all over Pittsburgh | TribLIVE.com Allegheny Cup of cheer: Holiday bars are popping up all over Pittsburgh JoAnne Klimovich Harrop Friday, Dec...

Nakayama
© » KADIST

Pierre Gonnord

2002

Nakayama is part of a larger body of work by Pierre Gonnord focusing on the analysis and description of the lifestyles of urban youth in large Western cities...

I Feel Like a Fish
© » LENS CULTURE

I Feel Like a Fish - Photographs by Jaisingh Nageswaran | Essay by Marigold Warner | LensCulture Feature I Feel Like a Fish Combining new and archival images, Jaisingh Nageswaran creates a tender and poignant reflection on family history, his childhood memories, and caste-based discrimination in India...

Other works by: » Imran Qureshi  
» see more

This Day
© » KADIST

Imran Qureshi

2017

At first glance, This Day by Imran Qureshi appears to be an energetic, gestural painting reminiscent of Action Painting from the mid-20th century...

Related artist(s) to: Imran Qureshi » Hou Hanru, » Okwui Enwezor, » Roman Ondák, » Udo Kittelmann, » Yto Barrada, » Deutsche Bank, » Wangechi Mutu, » Discover Deutsche, » Keren Cytter, » Naiza Khan  
» see more

Bus Logos
© » KADIST

Yto Barrada

2004

In this photographic series, Yto Barrada was interested in the logos of the buses that travel between North Africa and Europe...

Untitled
© » KADIST

Keren Cytter

“Untitled” is inspired by the movie “Opening Night” by John Cassavetes with Gena Rowlands playing the role of a fallen woman, anguished by her distressed life...

The Stray Man
© » KADIST

Roman Ondak

2006

“A man wanders near the windows of a gallery, situated adjacent to the street...

Iris Tingitana Oxalis
© » KADIST

Yto Barrada

2007

This photograph is part of the series titled “Iris Tingitana project” (2007) focusing on the disappearance of the iris...

Related works found in the same semantic group  
» see more

The Body Witness: Gardens Speak, en route, As Far As Isolation Goes at SIFA 2021
© » ARTS EQUATOR

The Body Witness: Gardens Speak, en route, As Far As Isolation Goes at SIFA 2021 | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Viewpoints Arts House Limited June 28, 2021 By Vithya Subramaniam (1,600 words, 6-minute read) Though cancelled last year amid the developing pandemic, Singapore International Festival of Arts has done well to lean into the possibilities of small-group, distanced programmes for this year’s line-up...

I Lost 85 Pounds. Then I Had My Loose Skin Removed... And Turned It Into Human Leather.
© » HUFFINGTON POST

"My family is used to my strange requests, but this one was just too weird."...

In the Artist’s Studio – A Photo Essay
© » ART AND CAKE

In the Artist’s Studio – A Photo Essay – Art and Cake June 20, 2023 June 20, 2023 Author In the Artist’s Studio – A Photo Essay Julie Lipa https://julielipaartist.com/ @julielipaartist My shop only looks this clean and tidy after I’ve finished a piece and I need a clean slate to start something new...

In the Artist’s Studio – A Photo Essay
© » ART AND CAKE

In the Artist’s Studio – A Photo Essay – Art and Cake June 20, 2023 June 20, 2023 Author In the Artist’s Studio – A Photo Essay Julie Lipa https://julielipaartist.com/ @julielipaartist My shop only looks this clean and tidy after I’ve finished a piece and I need a clean slate to start something new...