RIYADH: Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's captivating works are characterized by bright colors and surrealist depictions of South Asian and Arab cultures and focus on addressing the challenges faced by women and girls in society.
Anwar, 24, was born in Pakistan and moved to Saudi Arabia at the age of 8. She spent her formative years in the capital, attending Manarat Riyadh International School. She left the kingdom at 18 to study in Canada and has since returned.
Riyadh-based Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's work is influenced by her life in Saudi Arabia, and some of her works focus on the challenges women and girls face in society. (Supplied by Adam Studio)
“I grew up here with people from different cultures. However, I often did not see families from different cultures interacting with each other. At school, South Asians and Arabs interacted with each other, but I did not see any media representation of this.
“I felt that outside of school our societies were completely separate. That led me to create cross-cultural works. To represent the experiences of South Asians in the Middle East.”
HIGHLIGHTING
• Zainab Anwar, 24, was born in Pakistan and moved to Saudi Arabia when she was 8 years old.
• She spent her formative years in the capital and attended the Manarat Riyadh International School.
• Bright and colorful backgrounds, inspired by Pakistani truck art, are Anwar's artistic signature.
Anwar began her artistic journey by portraying Pakistani women in different settings.
“Later, I started drawing dark-skinned and hairy women because I felt that these characteristics of brown women were despised. I saw girls bullying each other at school because of such beauty ideals, Arab and South Asian girls alike.”
Riyadh-based Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's work is influenced by her life in Saudi Arabia, and some of her works focus on the challenges women and girls face in society. (Supplied by Adam Studio)
In times of psychological problems, art was an outlet for her.
“Later, I started using surrealist art to portray the difficult feelings and experiences I had with my depression and anxiety. Growing up with a stigma of mental illness, it took me many years to understand these emotions. And creating art on them helped me deal with such feelings.”
Riyadh-based Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's work is influenced by her life in Saudi Arabia, and some of her works focus on the challenges women and girls face in society. (Supplied by Adam Studio)
She added: “I believe that art can help bring difficult issues to light and provide a sense of peace to people suffering from such social problems and mental illness.
“I've found that society struggles to deal with experiences that all women and girls face, such as sexual harassment and unrealistic beauty standards.”
Riyadh-based Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's work is influenced by her life in Saudi Arabia, and some of her works focus on the challenges women and girls face in society. (Supplied by Adam Studio)
Bright and colorful backgrounds are Anwar's artistic signature. “The main source of inspiration for the colors I use in my paintings is Pakistani culture,” she said.
“An art form used by truck drivers in Pakistan is called truck art. Truck drivers decorate their trucks with bright, contrasting colors to draw attention to them. I was drawn to these trucks from a young age and I think that's what influenced me to use bright colors in my work.”
Riyadh-based Pakistani artist Zainab Anwar's work is influenced by her life in Saudi Arabia, and some of her works focus on the challenges women and girls face in society. (Supplied by Adam Studio)
Anwar's portfolio shows an experimental use of different media such as ink, pencil, photography and traditional art forms such as embroidery. Currently, she prefers to use acrylic paints in her work.
Although she depicts aspects of South Asian and Arab culture, Anwar says women identify with her art no matter where they come from. “They can understand the many universal experiences of what it means to be a woman, which I portray in my work. People also appreciate cross-cultural work and see it as a reflection of the society we live in.”
Anwar says she tries to capture the full range of human experiences in her work, including joy and suffering, which are “important to society, both to the artist and to the viewer.”
