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Imran Qureshi’s Inaugural Solo Exhibition in Rome

October 4, 2013•Art, Exhibitions, Installations

Elisabetta Marabotto of Saffronart suggests a visit to the MACRO in Rome for Imran Qureshi’s first solo exhibiton in Italy

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

London: The MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome) is hosting Imran Qureshi’s first solo exhibition in Italy in collaboration with Deutsche Bank.

After being nominated Deutsche Bank “Artist of the Year” 2013 and after completing a large scale site specific installation at the MET in New York, Qureshi concludes a very successful artistic year with this exhibition.

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Qureshi, one of the leading contemporary Pakistani artists, is internationally renown for the creation of contemporary miniatures. The artist in his work discusses the current socio-political situation in Pakistan including delicate topics such as terrorism using mainly traditional painting techniques on wasli (handmade paper). The dichotomy between violence and hope, destruction and creation are also permanent features in his art as well as the evocative red colour and the flower pattern which denote Qureshi’s optimism and peaceful resistance.

Imran Qureshi in an interview with Amna Tirmizi Naqvi said about his choice of studying miniature paintings:

“I did not choose it, it kind of chose me. I was adept at it and therefore Professor Bashir, the teacher who was conducting the course, insisted and declared that he felt I was really suited for it. I chose painting but he kept insisting. Contrary to his opinion I had my own misgivings and I replied that the tradition did not suit my temperament. He quoted a mahawara, which is witty idiom in Urdu. He stated that “we can tell from the aroma emanating from the cauldron about the condition of a single grain of rice”. I thought that if a teacher is conveying this idea with such persistence, there must be some truth in it.”

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

The present exhibition features recent works by Qureshi, some of which had been exhibited at the Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle in Berlin, including miniatures, oval canvases as well as site specific installations. The museum space is fitting to Qureshi’s works as it offers a classical presentation for the miniatures and a contemporary environment for the installations.

The exhibition stimulates the viewers to embark on a critical discourse on culture, politics and religion and their misconceptions and stereotypes.

Below you can enjoy a selection of the works on display.

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The exhibition is on until November 17, so you are still in time to visit Imran Qureshi’s first Italian solo exhibition at the MACRO in Rome! For more information click here.

Imran Qureshi, Raqib Shaw and Idris Khan among the 50 Most Collectible Artists

July 5, 2013•Art

Shradha Ramesh comments on ART+AUCTION’s 2013 list of The Next Most Collectible Artists Under 50

New York: In continuation of last year’s list of 50 collectible artists by ART+AUCTION, this year, the list focuses on artists under the age of 50.

The selected artists have global backgrounds, and are well known in the international art circle for their solo exhibitions and awards. The list encompasses artists such as Ernesto Neto from Brazil, Raqib Shaw, an Indian artist based in London, and others from Southeast Asia such as Chiharu Shiota and Eko Nugroho.

The shortlisted artists represent a versatile spread of techniques, mediums and styles. When it boiled down to the reason for choosing these artists, according to the editors, “…two reasons for this emerged. First, there is a genuine resurgence of non-representational painting as artists under 50 re-examine that key modernist pursuit. Second, collectors perennially favor painting because it is understandable within an established tradition and is comparably easy to display and conserve.”

According to the article, the other artists to take note of are Imran Qureshi, Ali Kazma, Tala Madani, and Idris Khan.

To read the full ART+AUCTION articles see Part 1 and Part 2.

Conversations with Imran Qureshi & Ian Altaveer about Qureshi’s Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

May 30, 2013•Art, Exhibitions

Manjari Sihare in a tête-à-tête with Imran Qureshi and Ian Altaveer about Qureshi’s Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York: In the recent past, we have brought to you news and snippets about Imran Qureshi’s Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. On the eve of the press launch, I had the pleasure of speaking with Imran Qureshi as well as Ian Altaveer, Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art about this Commission.

 

In conjunction with the installation, the museum has brought out a comprehensive publication, The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi, which features a preface by Sheena Wagstaff, the Leonard A. Lauder Chairman of the Museum’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, and an interview with the artist by Navina Najat Haidar, Curator in the Department of Islamic Art, and Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, both of the Metropolitan Museum, exploring Qureshi’s creative process and the artistic traditions that have informed it.

 

To learn more about the exhibit, click here.

The Saffronart Blog is thankful to the Press Department at the Metropolitan Museum for facilitating these conversations.

Imran Qureshi at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

May 11, 2013•Art, Exhibitions

Manjari Sihare shares some snippets of Imran Qureshi’s work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 

New York: The Imran Qureshi Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum, New York is now on view.  Entitled The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi, the project represents the artist’s emotional response to violence occurring across the globe in recent decades and his earnest hope for regeneration and lasting peace in the aftermath of man-made disasters. Here are some snippets from the special Frieze Art Fair VIP Preview held on Friday, May 10th. Watch this space for more on this spectacular exhibit. For all New Yorkers and those visiting for the Frieze Fair,  this is a must-see!

Imran Qureshi Roof Garden Commission, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

All images are courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Imran Qureshi Invited to Undertake Roof Garden Commission at Metropolitan Museum

April 2, 2013•Art, Exhibitions

Tarika Agarwal shares details of a forthcoming commission by Pakistani contemporary artist Imran Qureshi at the Metropolitan Museum, May 2013

517765-ImranQureshi-1362750738-642-640x480New York: Imran Qureshi, born in Pakistan in 1972, is a leading Pakistani contemporary artist. He is trained in the celebrated ancient Mughal miniature art form, and is best known for his minutely detailed paintings that borrow from the style of traditional miniature paintings. In his work, he merges traditional techniques with contemporary social, political and cultural subjects to create a new expressionist idiom. His paintings are a visual commentary on the contemporary realities of his homeland – modern day Pakistan.

Imran QureshiModerate Enlightenment2007Gouache on Wasli8.5 x 6.5 inFrom: Saffronart's 24 Hour Auction: Art of Pakistan, Lot 31Exhibited and published: Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan, 2009-10

Imran Qureshi
Moderate Enlightenment
2007
Gouache on Wasli
8.5 x 6.5 in
From Saffronart’s Art of Pakistan Auction, Lot 31
Exhibited and published: Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan, 2009-10

Qureshi has been invited to undertake the prestigious Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum, New York. He will create a site-specific work atop the museum’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden this summer. Considered one of the leading figures in developing a “contemporary miniature” aesthetic, integrating motifs and techniques of traditional miniature painting with contemporary themes, Qureshi is the first artist to create a work that will be painted directly onto the surface of the Roof Garden. His installation, The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi, will be on view from May 14 through November 3, 2013 (weather permitting). A book titled ‘The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi’ will also be published in conjunction with the installation. It will provide the artist’s perspective and other contexts in which to consider the projects. The installation at the Metropolitan Museum is organized by Sheena Wagstaff, Chairman, and Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator, of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden

The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden

Qureshi is known for creating large-scale environments in architectural spaces, addressing  the site’s historical and political associations. Through his works like Blessings Upon the Land of My Love (2011) commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation, ornamental foliate motifs sourced from miniatures are transposed to a large scale through the careful layering of spilled and hand-applied paint. The result surrounds the viewer and transforms the site. In November 2012, Qureshi was conferred with the prestigious Deutsche Bank’s 2013 Artist of the Year Award. Learn more about his practice here.

Imran Qureshi, Blessings Upon the Land of my Love, 2011. Site-specific installation, commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation.

Imran Qureshi, Blessings Upon the Land of my Love, 2011. Site-specific installation, commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation.
Image courtesy: http://www.domusweb.it/en/art/sharjah-10-a-report-from-the-emirates/

Some of the other artists who have exhibited or been commissioned to create works for the museum’s annual Roof Garden installation include Jeff Koons (2008), Tomás Saraceno (2012), Ellsworth Kelly (1998), Roy Lichtenstein (2003),  Cai Guo-Qiang (2006) and  Frank Stella (2007).