This painting refers to the Asia triennial Manchester provocation “ who do you think you are”.
​For this painting I used my photograph wearing a cosmopolitan dress and used layers of images, some are very personal like family, some from 16th17thminiature paintings overlaid figures from colonial legacy era. I have also used plants and flowers; some have very personal significance like an Australian Rose, given by my husband on Valentines Day, which I merge it with Islamic pattern. Jasmine flower (motia), I grew up watching motia flower, we had many plants of jasmine in our garden, I was used to make garlands with my grandmother, it has cultural significance, you wear them when you are getting married, you wear them when you die. Some are valuable plants and spices, which I have painted in Gold, the raw material that made India a desirable place to colonize. It also has a spiritual dimension as I am from a land where various faiths live and flourish together for centuries.   
 
I also celebrate the added layer as I am married to an English man, have two beautiful children enjoy wearing dresses and eating food from back home and English. I live in a Victorian house with Pakistani deco. Living in many spaces simultaneously, and so others live in multiple space. People wear Asian clothes, eat Indian, believe in and practice eastern spiritual philosophies. What I am trying to say is there is not a rigid single identity, which exist. The image is gently looking towards the viewers to establish a relationship and have a dialogue beyond visibility.