18th Street Arts Center

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By ajones, August 17, 2003 4:40 pm

Painter

Nusra Qureshi is trained in the art of the Mughal miniature painting tradition and has developed an extraordinary contemporary painting practice that engages with the rich, visual histories of South Asia.  What at first appears to be a deceptively simple narrative becomes, upon close examination, a commentary on the issues of sexual politics and the impact of 19th Century Colonialism. Her narratives reverse the balance of perceived male dominance by marrying images of early Colonialism with those of male/female intimacy. Through her adept brushwork and layered meanings, Qureshi’s reinterpretations provide an active voice for an otherwise passive historical feminine role.  Qureshi is part of an important generation of Pakistani artists who have revived and innovated the traditional art of Mughal miniature painting. She lectured at the National School of Art in Lahore from 1995 to 1999, migrating to Australia in 2001 to take up postgraduate study. She has shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Asia, the United States, Europe and Australia.  In 2003, Qureshi had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for an artist in residency program at 18th Street.  During her residency she was able to establish a dialogue with other artists on the ideas of cultural art-representation in the context of a contemporary society.

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By ajones, August 17, 2001 4:49 pm

Writer

Shahid Nadeem is an internationally renowned screenwriter, playwright, journalist and human rights activist who lives in Pakistan.  He has written over 30 plays and six television serials for Pakistani television, with many of them performed all over Asia and Britain.  He is the in-house playwright for Ajoka Theatre, Pakistan’s leading non-commercial theatre group.  As an activist, he has held media seminars on human rights reporting, organized film festivals and produced two documentaries on human rights campaigns in Asia.  Nadeem was imprisoned under all three past military regimes in Pakistan for non-violent protests and his writings.  He has been harassed by the government since 1986 for writing about Pakistan’s human rights record and for supporting India-Pakistan friendship,  and was banned from Pakistani television.  Nadeem has also worked for Amnesty International for many years in London and Hong Kong.  From April to December in 2001, Nadeem lived at 18th Street as a Feuchtwanger Fellow.

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