Risham Syed | HISTORY AS RE-PRESENT-ATION I
Risham Syed is a Lahore-based artist who uses painting, as well as other mediums to explore difficult questions of history, sociology, politics, and post-colonial identity.
south asian artist, risham syed, women artist, Lahore-based artist, associate professor, head of the department, SVAD, BNU, Seven Seas
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Risham Syed

HISTORY AS RE-PRESENT-ATION I

Installation 2014
Medium: Painting (5″ x 7″ acrylic on canvas on board), wooden stand with a bird, vintage victorian chair

I collect images from around me (and these can be as ‘ordinary’ as newspaper images) that are stories of us from everyday life. These for me are symbols, symbolic of the present times (ironically this photographed moment, once gone by, becomes history as soon as it appears in the newsprint). I turn these symbols into paintings, which is a deliberate act of participation. Now this ‘the painting’ I juxtapose with objects that are reminiscent of a certain time in history. The juxtaposition is tongue-­‐in cheek and creates a narrative through a complex lens of history. The Past provides a context for viewing the present. Curious objects, symbols of class, power, taste, knowledge and advancement in an ordinary arrangement mimics the museum curio cabinets creating historic fictional narratives.

Detail: Acrylic on cotton on aluminum 5″X7″