Lucid II

This series is in reaction to the debate of text vs. image. At what point does a word become a mere design /motif? Through this artwork She rejects the distinction between image and text as two different modes of communication- She presents them as indivisible. She use statements such as “This is not Art” and “I write one statement repeatedly and call it art” to make a mockery of the categorization and the need to explicitly define different mediums of expression.

Language plays a very fundamental role in the establishment of Identity. I use of the English alphabet has sparked much debate on a sense of hierarchy in the Pakistani community, influence of colonialism, hybridity and the sense of disassociation and distance from one’s own national identity.

Shameen is an Islamabad-based Visual Artist and Writer. She completed her Fine Arts (BFA) undergraduate degree from National College of Arts, Lahore (2015) and a MA Painting degree with Honors at the Wimbledon College of Art (UAL) as a Chevening Scholarship recipient. Shortly after completing her undergraduate degree. Shameen began her curatorial practice, first as a Gallery Coordinator at AQS Gallery followed by the role of Assistant Curator at Khaas Gallery, Islamabad. She has served as an Art Critic for publications such as Art Now Pakistan, The Missing Slate and Youlin Magazine. She has also served as a fourth year Instructor at the National College of Art, Rawalpindi. Currently, she is working as the Curator at Khaas Gallery alongside maintaining her studio practice.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and her work is a part of several private and gallery collections in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Dubai and London.