ABOUT
Saima Rasheed is a UK based artist. She was born in Lahore and graduated from the prestigious National College of Arts in Pakistan with a major in Miniature Painting. In 2020, she obtained her MA Fine Arts from Manchester Metropolitan University with distinction.
Rasheed’s intricate and meticulously crafted work is deep rooted in Mughal and Persian tradition of Miniature Paintings. Some of her initial work was almost autobiographical and stemmed out of her personal experiences and nuance of being a woman. Gender related issues and celebrating resilience of women is a recurrent theme in her work.
In recent years, she explores the impact of migration and its reciprocity on one’s life which is informed by her identity as a woman of colour and a British South Asian. Her work has evolved from small detailed realistic paintings rendered with tiny invisible dots/ Nuqta laid with a single hair brush, referencing the old masters to larger abstract swaths of colour inflicted with detailed mark making on a larger format and mix media.
Recent Shows include include Asia Triennial Manchester, Art Contact, Istanbul Art Fair, Turkey 2021. In 2018, she was short listed for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize. In 2016, She was invited to display her work at the Colombo Biennale, Srilanka.Nominated for Jameel Art Prize. In 2004, Rasheed was artist in residence at the Ecole de Art, Aix-en-Provence,France. She is a recipient of The Arts Council of England Award for an exhibition and workshops at The Bhavan Centre, London.
CV
Born in Lahore, Pakistan
BFA National College of Arts, Lahore
MA Fine Arts, Manchester metropolitan university, Manchester
Lives and works in Greater Manchester, UK
Solo Exhibitions
2018: ON BEING, Zellij Arts, Alexandria library, Asia Triennial Manchester, UK
2016: Conceiving Space’, Curated by Alnoor Mitha, Colombo Art Biennale 2016, Sri Lanka.
2015: Ajaib Gallery 1, Lahore, Pakistan
2015: Ajaib Gallery 11, Karachi, Pakistan
2014: Louver gallery, Karachi, Pakistan
selected Group shows
2021 Art Contact, Istanbul Art Fair, Turkey
2020 world is at home, Tamsanat online gallery
2018: ATM18 @ The Manchester Contemporary with Alnoor Mitha, Saima Rasheed, Halima Cassell and others
2018: The 2018 Sovereign Asian Art Prize Finalists Exhibition, The James Christie Room at Christie’s, 22/F Alexandra House, 18 Chater Road in Hong Kong.
2017: The Portico Library, Manchester, Recollection: Memory & Time”
2017: The Craft Barn Hadfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
2006: The Bhavan centre, London, United Kingdom
Eastern echoes
2004 Exhibition at “Ecole De Art” Aix-en-Provence, France.
2002 Ejaz galleries, Lahore
2002 Rohtas gallery1, Islamabad
2001 Shahkir Ali museum, Lahore
2001 Rohtas gallery2, Lahore
2000-Thesis display at National College of Arts, Lahore
Press
https://inprogress.mmu.ac.uk/saima-rasheed/
http://www.bigissuenorth.com/centre-stage/2017/07/blog-saima-rasheed/
https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2142561/sovereign-asian-art-prize-finalists-show-their
http://www.luxuo.com/culture/art/sovereignasianartprize-2018.html