About
As a Pakistani artist currently living and working in New York City, I am constantly thinking about South Asian and Muslim women, the spaces they occupy through acceptance as well as intolerance. My work explores the memories from my youth and the different emotions and experiences that women like me go through, mundane and spectacular, and physical and emotional traits that make us stand out as a collective group. I have always been mesmerized by the human face, and like to make portraits because they are a strong way to confront audiences. Some of my works capture a moment in time as if a block out of a comic book, evoking curiosity from the viewer and longing for further narration.
My love for painting is not just about the subject matter, but about the paint itself, and how you can manipulate the medium in a sculptural way. In college I would save my dried paint and use it later to create a 3D effect in my work, a method that stayed with me for a long time. Through a diverse range of oil painting techniques and mixed media, I dramatize expressions, facial features, and adornment, adding layers of garish colors and recreating Bollywoodesque scenarios. I often find myself questioning South Asian femininity and features as they compare to the west, and demand attention to these questions. All of my paintings have a strong psychological narrative and are about South Asian culture, social obligations experienced by women, beauty and makeup, and politics.
Bio:
Born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1992, Fatima A. Zaidi is a portrait painter currently residing in Brooklyn. Outside of her painting career, Fatima has significant experience in fundraising within the art world. Presently, she is the board member at the South Asian Womxn’s Creative Collective, and also serves as the Director of Development at The Kitchen, a performing and visual arts nonprofit. Fatima has always explored her genuine passion for the arts and for advancing the culture and diverse experiences of the South Asian community. She received her BA in museum studies, painting, and psychology from Bennington College. Prior to her role at The Kitchen, Fatima worked in fundraising at Triple Canopy, at The Studio Museum in Harlem, Public Art Fund, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. While in New York, Fatima has ensured a strong relationship with and support for creative South Asian groups, regularly attending exhibition openings, performances, comedy shows, and literary readings that highlight works by various desi artists and intellectuals.