Bivas Chaudhuri

Bivas Chaudhuri is an award-winning artist who was born in India. He was always fascinated by all forms of art especially three dimensional image making. He received his MFA from Brooklyn College after coming to the United States in the 1980s. His bicultural background and knowledge add a rich mosaic of ideas to his creative work. His work has been featured in Art News, Queens Chronicle, Art Forum, Ostee Anzeiger, The Telegraph, Economic Times, Seawanhaka, The Pioneer, Indo American Arts Council handbook, India in New York, World journal, Artspiral, India abroad, Deshi talk, News-India Times, Desh, Indian Express, Prabashi Anandabzar, Basumati and elsewhere. Work was shown and appeared on National TV, India, MalayasianTV, South African TV, Fix TV, Hungary.TV Asia, NY. ITV, NY.

According to Chaudhuri:

"My current work is involved with space, which is full of energy. I use repetitive visual elements and meditative process to energize the whole space. The highly structured slowly changing imagery is a close resemblance of my deep state of mind. It is emblematic of modern time mixed with personal feeling and impression. It is important to think continuously."

The Works
Uprooted, 48"x48" acrylic and oil











Puberty, 24"x24" acrylic











The womb, 24"x24" acrylic











Praise
"His current work has become more, or one could say, less geometric, far more colorful with a clear bright palette and greater sophistication in choices, and so musical, how much a parallel to jazz or Phillip Glass I would let others say. The simplicity of his forms has given way to a greater complexity but the fundamental structure of his work, the terms he selects for himself, is always quite explicit. Clearly, a greater momentum and confidence is evident."
- Robert Lee, Director, Asian American Art Center

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Honors & Awards

• Insaka International Artists Workshop, Zambia, Africa
• Residency/Stipend, CanSarrat International Art Center, Barcelona, Spain
• Institute for Civil Society Award, Massachusetts, USA
• Special Full Fellowship, Vermont studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, USA
• International Artists' Residencies/Seminar, Budapest, Hungary
• VCCA International Exchange Residency, Schloss Pluschow, Mecklenburg, Germany
• Triangle International Artists' Workshop, New York, New York
• Full Fellowship, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Virginia, USA
• Full Fellowship, Robert Blackburn's Print making Workshop, New York
• Assistantship, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York
• Society of Oriental Art Award for outstanding work, India
  

Zainab Khuwaja: an American-Muslim with a vision

“I feel that by adapting and practicing my art I have not only been able to expand my skills as an artist but also been able to gain a better understanding of the concepts of my faith, societal beliefs, and extremism of politics in the world.”

Zainab Khuwaja might be young but the Houston-based artist has a clear vision for future—using her art to reflect her own identity as an American-Muslim. “Through my style and form of art I believe I have been able portray a greater appreciation of Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy from a historical as well as a modern aspect,” she explains.

In her work, Zainab takes inspiration from Arabic Calligraphy and Islamic art and architecture, such as the historical mosques of Turkey, Spain, and Cairo. She uses traditional elements in her work like ceramic tiles, mirror and glass––materials that were used in the architecture and décor in the Fatimid era as well as in the time periods of Mughal and Ottoman Dynasties. “Developing a unique pattern and style which is uncommon within the art world is a success in its own way,” notes the proud artist.

Her style does manage to set her pieces apart. Take for instance her breathtaking olive Faiths Girdle piece on canvas that draws you in toward a single focal point with the word “Allah” in the center, encircled by colored mirror pieces or Luminous Glow which almost sails afloat the name of the Creator in a fiery orange. Dragon’s Eye is a slightly different but bolder piece that is done in a haunting palette—the bright reds and the eager greens combined with the subtle blues to soften the overall effect. The elements in that composition show a budding artist wanting to break forth and establish her mark on the art world.

Dragons Eye
Acrylic on Canvas








Faiths Girdle
Glass and Mirror work on Canvas










Luminous Glow
Acrylic on Canvas









Zainab’s creative journey began at the age of three, when she first started dabbling with watercolor and pottery. Over the years, that passion continued but she found herself also getting very interested in politics and law. Zainab, who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science and art from Houston Baptist University, is inspired by some of Houston’s most renowned artists such as Michael Collins and Virgil Grotfield. “At school, I am the only artist generating Middle Eastern concepts and designs of calligraphy in general within the art department,” says Zainab. “By viewing my work, some of my fellow student artists and professors have been able to develop a better understanding and appreciation for Muslim art and architecture in general.”

Zainab’s art has been acquired by many private collections. “I do hope in the near future to showcase my work on greater spectrum,” says the hopeful young artist and we wish her the very best in her journey.

Links to the artist
Contact link to purchase: Galerie.Khuwaja@gmail.com
Twitter

Mirza: Mysticism On Canvas

Joyful and vibrant color blends mixed in with a spoonful of surrealism and a dash of fantasy. When these manifest on Mirza’s canvas, they carry a powerful mystical tune—the notes unforgettable and ever lasting. It is as if the artist invited three guests in his midst—intuition, intellect, and emotion and painted with them.

Our understanding of twentieth-century art form is based on traditions brought forth by Cézanne and other Cubists. Visionaries such as Mirza, Fred Varley, Emily Carr, and Lawren Harris defy the norm. Mystically-realized art cannot be judged on the existing trends, rather you need different sort of lenses to understand the depth and complexity of mystical poetry on canvas. In mystical art, the artist achieves a meditative state of mind and then projects images and archetypes from the spiritual muse within. What these artists share is developing their work by calling on a higher level of consciousness, one that guides the strokes when the hand is moving on the canvas. Dancing figures, reflective women, musicians, dervish, birds—in a trice, leap off Mirza’s canvas and acquire a haunting and mysterious allure. His brush strokes and use of colors depict his sensitivity and mood, whether he is painting the serenity of the Buddha, the resurrection of the Christ or dancing women under a moonlight. Although he caution against seeing his pieces individually.

“Each piece of art is a component of the totality of expression of my personal philosophy. My body of work has to be looked at as a whole.”
–Mirza

Thirty years ago, Mirza was a new immigrant to the United States, and an evolving artist. Over the years as the events and places in his life changed, so did Mirza’s style as he internalized some of the Western and European styles and forms. He defines his work as a synthesis, drawing on the best of both to create something that reflects his own station in life. “I work with the mystical area of human existence,” says Mirza, “which in my opinion, is in between the real and the unseen world.”

In addition to canvas and paper he makes an extensive use of other mediums such as wood, glass, ceramic and metal for his work. “I choose whatever medium that best expresses my works and my thoughts,” he explains.


Two Sisters
Acrylic on Paper










Folk Culture of Pakistan
Oil on Canvas







World in Chaos
Oil on Canvas







A Little Girl in the Balcony
Acrylic on Canvas








His proudest moment came in the form of a four-day exhibition of his work in August of 2006 at the Pakistan Consulate in Washington. The exhibition was inaugurated by Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani. During his speech, the ambassador praised Mirza's natural flair for blending bold themes in dynamic colors. The event also brought his work out in front of the broader Pakistani-American community in Washington as well as numerous U.S. government officials, providing them a glimpse of the splendor of the Pakistani culture. “The exhibition reflects Mirza’s eastern background and sensitivity,” Gulgee commented, a personal friend and supporter, who has reviewed Mirza’s work on many occasions.

The event was initiated by the Consul General of Pakistan in Houston, G.R. Baluch who describes Mirza as a great unsung painter of our times and an accomplished world artist. He happened to see some of Mirza’s art at a friend’s place. So impressed was he by Mirza’s work, that he proposed to have an exhibition of his paintings at the Pakistan Consulate in Washington. Prior to that, in February of 2004, Mirza was invited to the Texas State Capitol by Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, to showcase some of his work. Mirza also had a high profile exhibition in March of 2006 at the Pakistan Consulate in Houston.

(This article, written by Shaila Abdullah, first appeared in The Ismaili USA)

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Kamila Shamsie: Born Into a Family of Writers

Kamila Shamsie is the author of five novels, including Kartography, Broken Verses and Burnt Shadows, which have publishers in 19 countries. Three of her novels have received awards from the Pakistan Academy of Letters and she has been shortlisted for the Liberaturpreis (Germany), twice for the John Llewellyn Rhys award (U.K). She has written for various publications including The Guardian, Prospect, New Statesman, TLS, The Telegraph (all U.K), DAWN and Newsline (Pakistan), The Daily Star (Bangladesh) and the New York Times (U.S), and is on the editorial board of the Index on Censorship. She has been a judge for the Orange Award for New Writing, the Guardian First Book Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award and the Australia-Asia Literature Award. She grew up in Karachi, went to university in America and now lives in London. Burnt Shadows was shortlisted for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction.

Author Interview

You have been writing for a long time. How would you describe the evolution of your style? What benefit did you get from being around a family of writers? Of all of your works, which one is the dearest to your heart?
I'm the last person you should ask about the evolution of my style - aren't writers notoriously poor at analysing their own work? For me each novel brings its particular set of stylistic demands - with Burnt Shadows' for instance, because I was going to cover 60 years and 5 countries I knew I needed a more pared down style than in my earlier works.

Being around a family of writers means that I grew up encouraged to read, and surrounded by the notion that books mattered and should be taken seriously. And also, of course, that I had the idea that writing was simply something that people DID....so it never felt unusual that I was writing fiction in my free time all the way through my adolescence. I've always found that the novel I'm writing or have just finished is the one dearest to my heart, because that's the one I feel most engaged with. So right now it's Burnt Shadows. As soon as I get to work on the next novel, that will change.

What do you make of the rising interest in Pakistani writing in English today?
I'm primarily interested in the writing itself, rather than the interest in it - and I think the work is wonderful. Nadeem Aslam, Uzma Aslam Khan, Aamer Hussein, Mohammad Hanif, Mohsin Hamid and Daniyal Mueenuddin : that's an extraordinary group of writers. So it is a very exciting moment for Pakistani writing in English. But the interest in it is unfortunately tied up in the world's terror about what's going on in Pakistan politically - and, of course, I wish that we didn't have that situation.

Being on the shortlist for the Orange Fiction Prize is a great honor. How would you rate the competition?
I haven't yet read the other books on the shortlist - but to think of someone like Marilynne Robinson as 'competition' is ludicrous. Her first novel Housekeeping is one of the finest novels of the 20th century. So I'm just enjoying the fact that I get to be in her company on this list.

Describe a day in the life of Kamila Shamsie. What is next for you?
Well, it depends on whether I'm writing or not. When I'm writing a typical day is - wake up, read the newspaper while have a morning cup of tea/coffee, then sit at my desk and start writing. Afternoons my brain shuts off so I might meet a friend for lunch, or go to the gym or read or waste time surfing the web...in the evenings, on a good day, I'll do another 2-3 hours of work. And then I'll often go out in the evenings with friends, though some days I just stay in, watch tv, read some more....and so the day goes.

The last few months I've been caught up in doing publicity for the book - it started in Pakistan in February, and I've just finished a US/Canada tour and have a two month break before going to Ireland and Australia in August, followed by Germany in September and so on.... so there's no proper routine these days.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors, especially Pakistani writers?
Write.
That sounds facetious, I know, but it's amazing to me how many people say they'll write a novel 'one day,' or who get caught up in wanting to know about agents and publishers before they've written a book. Anyone who is serious about writing needs to make time to write - now, not in some abstract future. And just concentrate on writing the best book you can before worrying about how to get it published, or how it'll be reviewed etc.

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Read an excerpt of Burnt Shadows
Buy Burnt Shadows
About the author