Shazia Ahmad
Shazia Ahmad. Breaking with Tradition: The Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch responds to Le 6 avril 1966
In her response, Shazia Ahmad, points to “the tragic story of
persecution and punishment that resonates with her.” Her artists’ book
represents a contemporary tragedy involving the 2016 assassination (honor
killing) of Qandeel Baloch, a Pakistani social media star In her work, Shazia
pays tribute to this courageous young woman who defied strict gender roles in
her essay where the unfolding story of Baloch incorporates Pakistan’s material culture traditions. In her recent work,
Shazia Ahmad indicates that she has “focused on Pakistan, her birthplace, a
country that has drifted further towards religious extremism and social
conservatism where people are persecuted for speaking out, behaving differently
or simply for existing.”
Shazia Ahmad is presently in her second year of Studio Arts
majoring in Painting and Drawing; she also had a BA in Art History.
Video edited by Tod Van Dyk. Footage shot by Isabelle Fleurelien.
Book photos taken by Isabelle Fleurelien, 2018.
Text based on written and spoken interviews between curator Melinda Reinhart and Shazia Ahmad.