Tazeen Qayyum

TAZEEN QAYYUM (B. 1973) Making of a Miniature I, II, III signed in Urdu (lower left) each; signed, titled and inscribed 'Tazeen Qayyum; further inscribed 'Based on Begum Nur Jahan Jodhpur, c. 1825-30 By Amar Das' (on the reverse) gouache and gold leaf on wasli 11 x 9 in. (27.9 x 22.9 cm.) each Executed in 2005; Three works on wasli 3 (3) Acquired directly from the artist Toronto, Art Square Gallery, Gendering Detail, 2005 Mississauga, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Bazgasht: Revival of Miniature Art from the Sub-Continent, 2009 Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, It's Complicated, 2011 Toronto, Textile Museum of Canada, Vieled: Andrew McPhail, Grace Ndiritu and Tazeen Qayyum, 2011 Tazeen Qayyum graduated from the National College of Arts Lahore, Pakistan in 1996. Her work has been widely exhibited in the United States, Canada, Japan, Nepal, London, Pakistan and Iran. Tazeen's works represent an innovative development in the aesthetic of the neo-miniature. Having studied classical miniature painting techniques, she apprises the tradition in a contemporaneous context. According to artist and critic Quddus Mirza "she blends the two parts in such a manner that a new and independent narrative is created." (Q. Mirza, 'A Different Kind of Animal,' The News, Karachi, 24 September 2006) In The Making of a Miniature I, II, III, Tazeen explicitly refers to an existing classical miniature portrait of Begum Nur Jahan the wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, painted by Amar Das, circa 1825-30. This iconic subject, reproduced countless times, is a deliberate visual quote of the tradition of the practice of miniature painting. It represents a visual conundrum as these three works cannot constitute three progressive stages of the same process, but three citations of a singular image. This set of work is a playful sardonic homage to the practice.

TAZEEN QAYYUM (b. 1973) Use Only as Intended II signed in Urdu and dated '05' (lower right) opaque watercolour and photo transfer on wasli paper 9 x 16¼ in. (23.8 x 42.4 cm.) Executed in 2005 Pre-Lot Text THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN Provenance Canvas Gallery, Karachi Acquired from the above by the present owner, circa 2005 Lot Notes In this work, Tazeen has used an image of a US visa form onwasli with a stylised painting of a "flit pump" an insecticidedispenser used commonly in the Sub-continent. The artist plays withthe notion of the alluring qualities of the United States toaspiring immigrants and conversely the repellence that is fosteredthrough politics and prejudice.

TAZEEN QAYYUM (B. 1973) Do Not Exhale signed in Urdu and dated in English '2007' (lower left) opaque watercolor and photo transfer on wasli sheet size: 17½ x 12¾ in. (44.5 x 32.4 cm.); Image size: 15½ x 10½ in. (39.4 x 26.7 cm.) Executed in 2007 Saleroom Notice Please note the title of this work is Do Not Exhale The correct medium is opaque watercolor and photo transfer on wasli and the correct Exhibition History is Islamabad, National Art Gallery, Pakistan, Dialogue with Tradition, 2007 Exhibited Islamabad, National Art Gallery, Pakistan, Dialogue with Tradition, 2007 Lot Notes At first glance, the work of the Pakistani artist, Tazeen Qayyum may appear decorative. However, upon closer inspection the beautiful textures, delicate colors and intricate designs coalesce to reveal a poignant political commentary on war and terror. Working within the tradition of Indian miniature painting the artist updates and revamps the genre by combing various artistic methods - such as machine printing and hand painting - and materials - like printed matter and hand crafted elements - to create her pictorial compositions. This approach, as identified by artist and critic Quddus Mirza, "blends two parts in such a manner that a new and independent narrative is created." (Quddus Mirza, A Different Kind of Animal, The News, Karachi, 24 September 2006) In this work Qayyum hand paints a whimsical yet grotesque pyramid of cockroaches in exquisite detail. Here each cockroach, the modern day locust, represents the faceless soldiers, government officials, terrorists and innocent bystanders that anonymously and involuntarily configure the current political, social and cultural views of war and the hierarchy of power that stems from them. Unlike the central pyramid, the background pyramids of cockroaches are the visible effect of photo transfers. On a formal level photo transfers function as the updated method to traditional printing or rubber ink stamps and as such these impressions subversively suggest the artist's desire to stamp out and destroy all traces of anti-Muslim sentiment generated by Eastern and Western power struggles. Furthermore, by hand painting each cockroach in vibrant gem-like blue and purple hues, Qayyum shrouds her political commentaries behind a decorative screen reminding us that in a time when it is unclear who the enemy is, things are not always what they appear to be.

Signed and dated in Urdu (lower left) Executed in 2006 Literature Gendering Detail: Exhibition of Contemporary Miniature Paintings, South Asian Gallery of Art, Toronto, May - July 2006, (unpaginated, illustrated) Women Looking East, University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island, March 2007,illustrated, unpaginated Exhibited Toronto, South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA), Gendering Detail: Exhibition of Contemporary Miniature Paintings, May - July 2006 Rhode Island, University of Rhode Island, Women Looking East: A Mixed Media Exhibit of South Asian and Southeast Asian Women Artists, March 2007.

Signed 'Tazeen Qayum 05' in Urdu (lower left) opaque watercolor and digital print on wasli Painted in 2005 Exhibited Karachi, Canvas Gallery, Two Person Show, 2005. Lahore, Croweaters Gallery, Contemporary Miniatures: Between Two Worlds, 2006. Lot Notes According to artist and critic Quddus Mirza, Tazeen Qayyum's works represent a new shift in the aesthetic of the contemporary miniature. "Tazeen, in her opaque watercolour and digital print on wasli, combines the painted and printed imagery. Although various sections of her work -- painted by hand or from a computer -- were created separately, she blends the two parts in such a manner that a new and independent narrative is created. She often uses the picture of an insect, mainly the cockroach, next to lavish and exquisite pieces of fabric or thread reels with a design painted on them. Probably for the painter, who lives abroad, the image of a cockroach -- a creature that can survive in the most unfavourable circumstances and hostile environments -- signifies the position of an expatriate, who often has to live in unpleasant surroundings and hard conditions." (Q. Mirza, "A Different Kind of Animal," The News, Karachi, 24 September 2006.)