Appear As You Are, Be As You Appear

This is a textile based work which is a critical part of Aisha Khalid’s artistic practice. She uses items used for embellishment and decoration making use of the sumptuousness, of velvet, silk and gold. But this is where beauty appears side by side with discomfort as all of these works are created using pins & needles. Larger works in this series have graced museums such as the Shawl at the Sharjah Biennial, and the Carpet at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Khalid plays with the notion of beauty and discomfort. On first glance the work appears like an exquisite gold worked embroidery purse but on closer inspection reveals itself to be composed of the ferocity of sharp needles and pins.