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AQSA SHAKIL
Attached to my very bones is my international baggage, most of which
is carry-on. I was born in Tanzania, raised in Pakistan, and have
had a taste of the Far East, Middle East and Europe. Getting married
and moving to America has been, let's just say, a piece of cake;
getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road: not so much.
Two weeks in Taos, New Mexico concluded with an extensive series of
Rain Paintings. The shed of the Art Barn at Fort Burgwin opened into
seemingly endless wilderness. When it rained, I spread out sheets of
Bristol paper on the grass and as the rain-drops pelted the paper, I
intervened with an ink-dropper. As soon as the ink hit the moist
paper, rain appeared.
My work has always had an underlying theme of relationships and
memories. In the concern for memory, there is an obsession of
recording time, which is a recurrent theme in my new large Miniature
Paintings. They are a combination of Taos rain-paintings, Islamic
geometric patterns, and Indian Miniature Painting. An experiment of
playing with the first two accidentally resulted in a perfect
setting for memories of my childhood executed in the tradition of
Miniature Painting. These images are derived from old family
photographs, most of which were taken by my mother. She has always
been an excellent chronicler and wonderful story-teller. Each image
is from a favorite picture that either has a story, or signifies an
important event.
Born in Tanzania , 1979
Raised in Pakistan
Working and residing in Dallas , Texas (Jan 2002 - present)
Education:
2007
– M.F.A., Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University,
Dallas TX
2005 - B.A. Summa Cum Laude, University of Texas at
Dallas
1999 – 2001 National College of Arts , Lahore ,
Pakistan
Gallery Affiliations:
Oliver Kamm Gallery, New York NY
500X Gallery, Dallas TX
Solo Shows:
2008 'Aqsa Shakil' Fort Worth
Community Arts Centre, Fort Worth TX
2007 'Aqsa Shakil: Traces' Oliver Kamm
Gallery, New York NY
2007 'Aqsa Shakil: I'll be Outside' Brazos
Gallery, Richland College, Richardson TX
2006 ‘Trekoids’ Doolin Gallery, Meadows
School of the Arts, SMU, Dallas
2005 ‘Orbit’ Mezzanine Gallery, University
of Texas at Dallas
Group Shows:
2008 'Tranquility' Cerulean
Gallery, Dallas TX
2008 'Bitter Finals' Angstrom Gallery,
Los Angeles CA
2007 'Parallels' Mockingbird Gallery,
Dallas TX
2007 'MFA Show' Pollock Gallery, SMU,
Dallas TX
2007 'Folks from Meadows' 500 X Gallery,
Dallas TX
2007 ‘Coming Together/Pulling Apart’
Mckinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas TX
2006 ‘5x7’ Dunn and Brown Gallery, Dallas
TX
2006 ‘Members Show’ Dallas Centre for
Contemporary Art, Dallas TX
2006 ‘Platform’ Arlington Museum of Art ,
Arlington TX
2006 ‘Patternage’ Continental Lofts Gallery, Dallas
TX
2006 ‘Summer Show’ Main Gallery SMU, Taos
NM
2006 Oh6 New Works 500X Gallery, Dallas TX
2005 Spring Show 2005 Visual Arts Gallery,
University of Texas at Dallas
2005 Contextual Casket Factory, Southside
on Lamar, Dallas TX
2005 Mission : control Angstrom Gallery,
Dallas TX
2003 Visual Arts Gallery, University of Texas at
Dallas, Richardson TX
2003 University Theatre, University of Texas at
Dallas, Richardson TX
2002 Spring Show 2002 Visual Arts
Gallery, University of Texas at Dallas
Scholarships, Honors and Awards:
2007 Katherine Rigsby Dougan Scholarship
for New York Residency
2006 The Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund
award, Dallas Museum of Art
2005 Full Scholarship for MFA (2005-2007), Meadows
School of the Arts
2005 Golden Key Visual and Performing Arts
Achievement Scholarship
2005 Dennis M. Cratz Dean’s Award in the Spring
Show
2005 Bryce and Jordan Scholarship for Creative and
Performing Arts, UTD
2004 Biography published in The National Deans List
Book
2001 Student Merit Scholarship, National College of
Arts , Lahore
Reviews:
2005 Terranova, Charissa, Orbit, Dallas
Observer, August 4th, 2005
Residencies:
2007 Juvenal Reis Studios, New York
2006 Fort Burgwin, Taos, New Mexico
Collections:
2008 Stern Collection, LA
2008 Michael Straus Collection, NY
2008 Progressive Insurance Co., NY
2007 Oliver Kamm 5BE Gallery, New York NY
2007 Pollock Gallery, Dallas TX
2007 Laura Lee Blanton Building, Southern
Methodist University, Dallas TX |