Sculpture Space NYC Center for Ceramic Arts is pleased to present the exhibition Mashq, as part of its Curatorial Program series, featuring work by Javaria Ahmad, an artist and ceramist from Pakistan.
Mashq by Javaria Ahmad
October 20th – November 18th, 2023
Opening Reception: Friday, October 20th, 2023, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Sculpture Space NYC Center for Ceramic Arts is pleased to present the exhibition Mashq, as part of its Curatorial Program series, featuring work by Javaria Ahmad, a multidisciplinary artist and ceramist from Pakistan. Mashq, is Javaria’s first solo exhibition in New York City. The show will be on view from October 20th through November 18th, 2023.
Through her multidisciplinary art practice with ceramics as a major medium of work, Javaria Ahmad explores the ambivalent relation of everyday utilitarian objects and memory with traditional cultural practices that she observes in her surroundings. Her art practice examines a narrative of a middle-class domesticity as a physical and a metaphysical entity of unjust gender hierarchy for a South Asian woman. The meticulous process of her work replicates everyday routine that seems mundane yet mandatory. Her ceramic forms are recognizable at times, while abstract at the other times. She relates this idea of understanding her forms as comparable to acknowledgement women of a stereotypical domesticity receive.
MASHQ (a practice)
“The discourse about women's everyday life, cultural stereotypes, and traditions has significantly influenced both my life and work. My art practice examines the intricate meanings of middle-class domesticity and gender bias for South Asian women. The concept of womanhood here is laden with unrealistic expectations and the notion of a submissive homemaker.
Growing up in Pakistan and having the opportunity to study in the US has given me a cross-cultural perspective. This vantage point allows me to ethnographically examine shared and differing aspects, such as the utilization of textiles and prevailing gender norms in the domestic sphere. This cultivation of a profound sense of place and identity within me enables my work to adopt a visual language that holds distinctive cultural meanings.
The term "Mashq," originating from Arabic, means practicing to become skilled. Through my meticulous working process, I strive to manifest the overlooked dedication women invest laboriously into domesticity—as integral steps towards becoming the stereotypical homemaker, akin to the concept of Mashq.”- Javaria Ahmad
About The Artist:
Javaria Ahmad is a multi-disciplinary artist from Pakistan. She started working in ceramics in 2004 and since then ceramics has become a primary medium in her work and art practice. In 2021 she came to the United States for the first time in her life to pursue an MFA degree in Ceramic Arts from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work can be found in the collection of Yinggie Ceramic Museum, Taiwan and Alfred Ceramic Museum, New York. Currently she is teaching Ceramics at the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan.
SSNYC Curatorial Program is dedicated to promoting contemporary visual art focusing on the research and exploration of three dimensional work with an emphasis towards ceramics. Sculpture Space NYC's mission is to stimulate creativity, new ideas and collaboration in ceramics-based investigations. Artists, designers and craftspeople of all backgrounds converge in this center to experiment, learn, make, reflect and grow artistically.
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday: 2pm-8pm
info@sculpturespacenyc.com
Location: we are located at 47-21 35th Street, Long Island City NY 11101, near the 33rd Street/ Rawson Street stop on the 7 train.
