Models: Ayesha Bashir, Akanchya Maskay My name is Xiao (Smile), class of 2023, studying literature and photography. I shoot mostly portraitures or civilizations with the depiction of people, as for now, my purpose of creating art is for my love for people. By building relationships with my models and audiences, I learn about the world, different
YUAN: A study in curry, class, and community” is my attempt, as a fourth generation Malaysian, at reconnecting with the land I live on and the people I share a home (and heritage) with. In doing so, I journeyed through my country’s colonial history and indigenous peoples (Orang Asli), talked about traditional cooking ware and
This series of miniature paintings explores the role of objects in fostering nostalgia. The instinct to protect cherished objects is nothing new in our consumerist age. ‘Memory objects’ are conceptualized as belongings that elicit deliberate or involuntary memories of one’s culture and history. For me, these objects represent Pakistani culture in relation to its colonial
I like to combine my experience living in a city with absurd fundamentals of daily life dynamics and what I create. I find value in works that capture the essence of orientalism, the structure of the living. I work with the idea of remembrance, especially specific patterns from Turkish culture, often imitating traditional tile motifs.
This photo series addresses the checkered past of photojournalism by attempting to disarm The West’s conditioned understanding of people from the Middle East and South Asia as either exotic or religious extremists. This inaccurate portrayal by Western media homogenises and dehumanises these people by denying their intersectionality, thereby promoting racist stereotypes. The most famous example
This work expresses my feelings to xenophobia relating to the coronavirus. I finished this work in the beginning of March, when the virus starting to hit the United States. Hostility behaviors towards other people because of their racial identity can tear our humanity apart. Being racially Asian, I was hurt and attacked by some strangers
4 yellow Windows deals with both the conscious and subconscious mind. I created this piece at a time where I was exploring the idea of togetherness and independence in terms of seeking validation. I wanted to create a piece of work that allowed the viewer to go within themselves and connect to their innermost thoughts, while
