Mumtaz Hussain

Mumtaz Hussain's recent paintings continue the artist's engagement with language and history. The relationship of hieroglyphs and ancient sculpture in his recent series The Soul of Civilization contrasts with the calligraphic Modern Mystic series that invoked the Islamic tradition of poetry as visual expression; the new paintings are an attempt to make direct pictorial statements. Born and educated in Jhang, Hussain's early artistic education was inspired by the medieval Indian figurative artistic tradition. In 1981, he accepted admission into the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. Upon graduation, Hussain was commissioned to construct a seventy-foot mural in Lahore's town center and to decorate the Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan Palace, an architectural landmark in Karachi. In 1988, he left for New York to pursue graphic design at the School of Visual Art. Hussain continues to paint prolifically, and his artworks have been feature regularly at the LRBT art auction in New York, consistently fetching the highest bids.

The Works

Solitude, Series 3: Intimate Conjunction (Oil, acrylics and silver foil on canvas)

Infinity (Oil, acrylics and silver foil on canvas)

The Path (Oil, acrylics and silver foil on canvas)

Conversation with the Artist

What is the inspiration behind your work?
The source of inspiration always changes for me. I am moved by beauty regardless of what form it comes in––female, film, book, or poetry. When something touches my heart and have a great impact on me, than I tend to express myself sometimes on canvas, sometime on films and at times even with my pen.

Tell us about your journey? How did you become an artist? Did you receive any formal training?
My creative journey started from early childhood when I often spent time painting, drawing, making portraits of my friends and even film stars. I learned calligraphy from a neighborhood board painter. Because of family pressure, I studied pre-engineering for a short while but that didn't work out. It was then that I decided to have formal art training from National College of Arts in Pakistan. Then, I studied in London and worked as a painter in Paris. Eventually, I moved to New York to study graphic design and enrolled in the School Of Visual Arts. I worked as an art director for accounts like Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Simon and Schuster and have a studio in New York. I am still running on the path of art, making my living from painting, films, and writing stories.

Describe your style? What medium do you work in?
I paint classic South Asian art in a post modern style, and use calligraphy as a visual expression. I use mixed media oil acrylic with silver foil on canvas.

What would you consider your biggest success as an artist?
The fact that my admirers include many universities and museums who give me the opportunity to showcase my work to the broader society.

Links to the Artist

View Porfolio
To buy the artwork of Mumtaz Hussain, please call 917 855 6434.

Contact Us

We are looking for volunteers and reviewers. Please contact us if you are interested. If you are interested in submitting your work, please view the guidelines.

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We will send the artists an alert when their work is posted and we will also broadcast on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Since this is a collaborative activity, we expect each featured artist to be a frequent visitor of this blog and comment on other posted works. We also expect you to encourage your friends and fans to visit the blog and contribute as well.

Please remember that since our aim is to encourage artists, we will only publish constructive and positive feedback. Please feel free to spread the word among other artists.

How Do I Submit My Work?

About Hyphenated Spirit?
Hyphenated Spirit is an international grassroots arts movement that celebrates the artistic contributions of diverse youth and adult artists and provides them with a venue to express their cultural, personal, and societal views creatively. Learn more.

Categories

• Paintings
• Works on paper
• Sculpture
• Ceramic works
• Design art/functional art
• Drawings
• Fiber and textile art
• Mixed-media
• Photographs
  
• Writing (such as excerpts, commentary, poems, short stories, limit to 2,000 words)
• Multimedia (such as music, film, documentary, recital)

Guidelines for Submission
If you are an interested artist, please respond to the following four questions:

1. Please provide your full name, city, state and country of residence.
   
2. What is the inspiration behind your work?
   
3. Tell us about your creative journey? Did you receive any formal training?
4. Describe your style?
   
5. What would you consider your biggest success?
6. How has your work been received by the world and what is next for you?
   

Please send the following along with the answers:

Bio: (limit to 250 words and write in third person):
Art Buying link/Contact link to purchase (if available):
Website, blog or online portfolio link (if available):
Artist Photo: include link or attach to email. Jpeg preferred
Images of Artwork (if submitting artwork): At least 3 and no more than 6. Include links or attach to email. Jpeg preferred. Include captions, category (see above), and descriptions for each.
Writing submission (if submitting prose or poem): Please limit to 2000 words. Include captions, category (see above), and descriptions for each.
Multimedia Audio submission (if submitting music): Please limit to 3. Submit embed code of audio clips. Include captions, category (see above), and descriptions for each.
Multimedia Video submission (if submitting video): Please limit to 2. Submit embed code of video clips. Include captions, category (see above), and descriptions for each.
Permission: Yes or no (such as yes, I allow HS to publish my work online)
Copyright: Yes or no (such as I have the copyright to the work I am submitting)

Email your submissions to Hyphenated Spirit

Youth Submissions
Youth submissions are welcome. Follow the steps indicated above except for the following:

• For bios, just indicate your name, grade level, city, state, and country
• Please indicate whether would like to be acknowledged with both your first and last name, first name only, or a pseudonym.
• Filling out the interview questions is optional.
  
• Include written permission of an adult in your household (e.g. I give HS permission to publish my child's submission consisting of image, work and information online)

Spread the Word
We will feature an artist or two each week. We will send the artists an alert when their interviews are posted and we will also broadcast on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Please feel free to spread the word among other artists. Since this is a collaborative activity, we expect each featured author to comment on other artist's work. Please remember that since our aim is to encourage artists, we will only publish constructive and positive feedback.

Who Am I?
I am Shaila Abdullah, a Pakistani-American author and designer based in Austin, Texas. I maintain a fairly active blog online by the name of Cayenne Lit around literary work of authors of color. I have published two books: Saffron Dreams and Beyond the Cayenne Wall. Feel free to contact me.

People

Shaila Abdullah
Shaila Abdullah is the founder and senior editor of Hyphenated Spirit. She is a Pakistani-American author and designer based in Austin, Texas is the founder of Hyphenated Spirit. She maintains a fairly active blog online by the name of Cayenne Lit around the literary work of diverse authors. She has published two books: Saffron Dreams and Beyond the Cayenne Wall. Visit her website to learn more.

Sweta Srivastava Vikram
Sweta Srivastava Vikram is the editor of Hyphenated Spirit. She is an author, poet, and blogger living in New York City. She has published two books: Pabulum and Inner Voices (one of Sweta’s stories is a part of the short stories collection). Her work has also appeared in other publications. She maintains an active, opinion-based blog focused on culture, philosophy, art, and life at Pandorastwocents. Visit her website to learn more.

What is Hyphenated Spirit

Welcome to Hyphenated Spirit, an international grassroots arts movement that celebrates the artistic contributions of diverse youth and adult artists and provides them with a venue to express their cultural, personal, and societal views creatively. It provides a non-competitive platform for disadvantaged artists who work in traditional or non-traditional mediums with a cultural viewpoint.

The purpose of Hyphenated Spirit is the following:

• Nurture the spirit of disadvantaged adult and youth artists by exhibiting, promoting, and building audiences for their work.
• Foster healthy dialog between the artists and the visitors of the blog.
• Invite established artists to mentor and critique the work of new artists.
• Showcase news and events related to the featured artists and the broader art community.
• Broadcast contests and opportunities for artists to gain recognition.
  

Who is considered disadvantaged?
To us, disadvantaged means operating under conditions detrimental to normal growth due to socioeconomic limitations, cultural or political factors, geographic isolation, or various combination of such factors. It could be an artist in U.S. not getting his or her due recognition because of color or race issues; a disabled artist in Philippines working under grave physical limitations; or a youth in Pakistan lacking the means to explore the talent he possesses.

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