Emaan Pirzada
Artist Bio
Trained in Indo-Persian miniature painting, I have developed a mixed-media practice that focuses on themes of topophilia—an inherent connection to places and environments. As I transition from one location to another, I find myself deeply drawn to the emotive and sensory aspects each place holds. My work documents them through creating compositions and altering the perspectives, resulting in imaginary ‘mind palaces’, each layered with personal experience - interpreting through watercolour, gouache, ink, paper and mainly graphite on wasli.
Selected Work
Name: Unfinished ChapterThis work explores emotional resonance through cold, muted tones, evoking detachment and isolation. Traditional miniature patterns are disrupted, symbolizing disconnection. These fractures reflect the tension between place and belonging, where ornamentation fails against alienation. The interplay of precision and rupture reveals the fragility of our ties to place.
The painting/cutout is based on a photo from the 1930s when constructing skyscrapers became a strong drive, and the competition to build the world’s tallest building was fierce. I used this image as a symbol of human desire. I replaced the ridiculous-looking hats in the photo with more recent tall buildings, indicating ongoing development and devastation to our environment, using a lone frog to represent nature.
Medium: Mixed Media/Cutout on board (framed)
Size: 66cm x 86cm framed, (60cm x 80cm unframed)
Year: 2024