RIYADH: Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's striking work is marked by vibrant colors and surrealistic depictions of South Asian and Arab cultures, focusing on the challenges faced by women and girls in society.
Anwar, 24, was born in Pakistan and moved to Saudi Arabia when she was 8 years old. She spent her early years in the capital, studying at Manarat Riyadh International School. She left the state at the age of 18 to attend university in Canada and then returned.
“I grew up here with people from different cultures. However, I don't often see families from different cultures interacting with each other. At school, South Asians and Arabs interacted with each other but I never saw any media representation of it.
“I realized that societies outside of our school were completely separate. This inspired me to create a cross-cultural work. To represent the experience of South Asians in the Middle East.
highthe lights
• Zainab Anwar, 24, was born in Pakistan and moved to Saudi Arabia when she was 8 years old.
• She spent her early years in the capital studying at Manarat Riyadh International School.
• Bright and colorful backgrounds inspired by Pakistani truck art are Anwar's artistic signature.
Anwar began her artistic journey by portraying Pakistani women in various settings.
“I later started painting women with dark skin and hair because I thought these were characteristics that brown women were ashamed of. I saw girls at school bullying each other for such beauty standards, Arab and South Asian girls alike.
Art has been an outlet for her while dealing with mental health issues.
“Later, I started using surrealist art to depict the difficult emotions and experiences I had with my depression and anxiety. Growing up with mental health stigma, it took me years to understand these feelings. And creating art in this has helped me deal with those feelings. “
He added: “I believe that art helps bring light to difficult subjects and also provides a sense of peace to people suffering from such social problems and mental illness.
“I found that society has a hard time dealing with the experiences that all women and girls face, such as sexual harassment and unrealistic beauty standards.”
Bright and colorful backgrounds are Anwar's artistic signature. “The main source of inspiration for the colors I use in my paintings is Pakistani culture,” she said.
“The art form used by truckers in Pakistan is called truck art. Truckers decorate their trucks with bright, contrasting colors. I was drawn to these trucks from a young age and I believe this inspired me to use bright colors in my work.”
Anwar's portfolio showcases his experimental use of various mediums, including traditional artworks such as ink, pencil, photography, and embroidery. Her current preference is the use of acrylic paint for her work.
Although she portrays aspects of South Asian and Arab culture, Anwar says that women connect with her art no matter where they come from. “They can understand the very universal experiences of being a woman that I portray in my work. People also appreciate cross-cultural work and see it as a reflection of the society we are in.”
Anwar says she tries to capture the full range of human experience in her work, including the joys and sorrows that are “important to society for both the artist and the audience.”
