Nadia Waheed: "Notes From a Windowless Room" at Raw Paw

From MoHA Wiki
Austin Chronicle
Review • February 21, 2019
Author
  • Wayne Alan Brenner
Link Nadia Waheed: "Notes From a Windowless Room" at Raw Paw
Description Explorations of identity by an artist of color, of colors, of many colors
Event

But, oh my, the paintings. "These paintings are an effort to form a bridge between my Pakistani heritage and my Westernization," says the internationally raised artist who currently lives in Austin and has a studio in the Museum of Human Achievement. Waheed's art attempts to bridge the cultural gap primarily by exploring the brown female nude. "It's taboo imagery," she says, "which I wouldn't have been able to deal with as directly in Pakistan. I also consider the slow degradation of my native language, being away from Karachi, leading to additional explorations of assimilation, Americanization, and Westernization. I strive to make a comprehensive image that melds connection with the self with racial and cultural identity, using the figure as a vehicle, rounded off with a meandering through any subconscious imagery that surfaces while making the work."