Larger than life

The veil or the curtain has always been present in Aisha Khalid’s work from its Inception. The burka clad mysterious figure was always enclosed inside the jadwal(border) of the miniature painting in Khalid’s works. These paintings were like jewels. In this painting though the veil seems to cloak the ideal beauty or truth as referenced in Victorian poetry as well as Urdu poetry which is the ultimate truth concealed behind a veil. This form could be the allusion to the beloved or the divine and is truly larger than life and rendered on a large-scale scarlet Wasli(Hand-prepared paper). This was the first time that Aisha Khalid rendered the Burqa or the Veil in such proportions. This is a seminal work as well and has led to a whole series of large-scale veil or Burqas.

The Spine by Naiza Khan as well as Aisha Khalid’s Larger Than Life both play with the notion of a woman’s consciousness in terms of these vestments.

Exhibited: Art HK, 2009

Published: Larger Than Life, Published by Manchester Art Gallery, 2012 Manchester Art Gallery, 2012