Abdullah Qureshi (artist)
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Abdullah Qureshi (born 1987) is a Queer Muslim Pakistani cis-male artist, social activist,[1] curator, educator, and cultural producer.[2] Qureshi utilizes paint, watercolor,[3] film,[4] and faceless depictions of his male friends[5] to capture his personal histories, trauma, and childhood memories surrounding his identity as a Queer Muslim Pakistani man.[1][6] Qureshi explores his identity in his work within an Abstract Expressionist style[7] using large canvases.[8] Additionally, he tends to unpack his identity within the context of his experiences with immigration[4] and his intimate and healing experiences with men.[5]
Early life and education[edit]
Qureshi was born in 1987 in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2010, he earned a bachelor of arts with honors in Fine Art from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London where he continued his enrollment for an additional year in order to complete a master of arts degree in Fine Art. In 2017, he attended and completed his at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland.[2] During the fall of 2019, he became a visiting graduate student at the Centre for Feminist Research in York University in Toronto, Canada.
During Qureshi's academic training in London, his Pakistani identity became significant in his art. He moved back to Lahore, Pakistan. He created visual work responding to the intersectional identities of the queer, Pakistani, and Muslim culture.
And there, he co-founded a gallery for artists and designers who were interested in destabilizing institutional boundaries called “39K”.[9]
Qureshi lives in Helsinki, Finland.[6]
Works, exhibitions, projects, collections[edit]
Art presentations[edit]
- National Gallery of Art, Islamabad, Pakistan[2]
- Alhamra Art Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan[2]
- Rossi & Rossi, London, England[2]
- Uqbar, Berlin, Germany[2]
- Twelve Gates Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[2]
- SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, California[2]
Solo exhibitions[edit]
- Multi-media exhibition titled “Darkrooms: retracing childhood memories”[10]
- Visual diary titled “The Story of Myself and Some Friends in these Fragments of Daily Loves” presented at the Zahoor Ul Akhlaq Gallery[11]
Group exhibitions[edit]
- “Sind wir schon da?” curated by Julia Feldmann and Silke Paintinger, Universität für angewandte Kunst, Vienna[12]
Short films[edit]
- Qureshi’s 2019 experimental short film titled “Journey to the CharBagh”[4]
Artistic co-advisor[edit]
- Qureshi and two other advisors advised a show titled “River in an Ocean”[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Visual delight 'River in an ocean' — a show of active resistance". Daily Times. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Residency Unlimited | Abdullah Qureshi". Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ Kost, Ryan (2018-02-06). "Queer Muslims claim space in SOMArts exhibition". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ a b c "Different Routes: The queer gaze sees love and compassion in the Quran". Kone Foundation. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ a b Rustomji, Veera. "Searching for Mr. Perfect – Art Now Pakistan". Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ a b "Three Artists Tell Us What It's Like To Be Queer, Muslim and Pakistani". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ Dar, Saira (2017-04-16). "EXHIBITION: A DIARY IN PAINT". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ "Raining upside down | Art & Culture | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ "Food stories, at the (digital) supermarket". Method Pliant. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ "Darkrooms". Third Space. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ "Story Myself Details". www.zahoorulakhlaqgallery.com. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ^ "Exhibition – Sind wir schon da?". Retrieved 2022-02-07.