Faiza Khan

Faiza Khan
فائزہ خان
Born 1975
Abbottabad, Pakistan
Occupation Artist, Curator, Activist
Years active 1998–present

Faiza Khan (née Ayub) is a Pakistani visual artist, curator and activist, born in Abbottabad, Pakistan in August 1975. She is an expressionist and abstract oil painter, combining social-political issues and complex human emotions in her creative evolution. Khan's work has been exhibited in Pakistan and the United States of America.[1]

Early life

Khan is the first child of Prof. Ayub Sabir and Shirin Ayub. Her father taught at the Government College of Abbottabad, who wrote several books and essays pertaining to the Pakistani poet and philosopher, Allama Iqbal.[2] Dr. Ayub Sabir has also been awarded the Presidents Award of Pride of Performance by the govt. of Pakistan on 23 March 2006, ceremony held at Governor house, Khyber Pakhtunkha, Pakistan. Khan's mother, also an artist, gave up visual art after marriage to raise Faiza along with her two brothers. Khan had revealed a passion to draw and paint as early as five years old, however, she did not receive formal artistic training until later years. She studied at Army Burn Hall College Abbottabad from class prep (1980) up to higher secondary level (1993).

Education

Khan completed her BA from University of Punjab, Lahore Pakistan, after receiving her secondary education at Abbottabad, Pakistan. She then trained in studio painting and post graduated from the University of Oklahoma, in the United States of America.[3] Apart from art, Khan completed certificate courses in Web Development, Java and C++ from private institutes.

Personal life

Khan married Dr. Malik Imad Khan in 2001 and has two daughters, Aleeza Khan born on 23 October 2002 at OU Medical Center, Oklahoma and Reem Khan born on 11 July 2004 at Abbottabad, Pakistan. She returned to Pakistan from the US in 2003 and lives in Islamabad, Pakistan, with her family now.[4]

Art career

As early as 1998, Khan has successfully been exhibiting her paintings.[5] She commenced her art career by participating in different group shows at student as well as senior level. Khan continues exhibiting in Pakistan and abroad.[6] Her solo exhibit of figurative paintings, in 2009 at Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts, received outstanding reviews by art critics. Khan has been exhibiting her work every year after that.[7]

Social-political activism

As an artist, Khan took it upon her to raise awareness and create platforms for promoting dialogue and encourage social reforms in Pakistan. Khan also founded RASTAY, an organization to cultivate pluralism in Pakistani society through art and activism.

United - In the Age of Dialogue

Faiza Khan conceived, arranged and curated a group show of 150 artists' painting exhibition United - In the Age of Dialogue, at Pakistan National Council of Arts on 5 April 2011, inaugurated by Dr. Firdaus Ashiq Awan, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan. It was a contemporary exhibition exploring the ingenious process through the medium of art, featuring a medley of art work by various Pakistani artists. The exhibition aspired to provide a platform for artists and to make visible their works of numerous Pakistani artists who are often marginalized in this society.[8][9][10][11]

Khan has also been involved in the endeavors to provide platforms to artists so that art can flourish freely.[12]

In the Name of Honor

In the same year, on 14 July, Khan also arranged and curated, 'In the Name of Honour', an interactive exhibit at Jharoka Art Gallery in Islamabad. When Khan discovered the heinous death of a woman killed as honour killing, she took it upon herself to express solidarity with the victims of social injustice, female oppression and patriarchal subjugation by organizing a symbolic exhibition in honour of women who have been raped, mutilated and killed. 'In the Name of Honour' was inaugurated by the wife of the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Marilyn Wyatt.[13][14]

Advocacy

Faiza Khan founded a non profit organization by the name of Rastay through which she is striving for a better Pakistan. Her work through the organization reflects the issues of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, Honor Killing, Female Genocide, social, economic and political injustices, child abuse etc. Khan is prepared to collaborate with international organizations to work on such issues and bring out solutions for a peaceful society in Pakistan. More can be found at official website of Rastay, www.RASTAYNGO.com [15]

Photographs from events

Major exhibitions

She has held numerous exhibitions in Pakistan and the US, and some of these are:

Videos and Media reviews can be seen at the link http://www.RASTAYNGO.com

Video of this event can be seen at reference: http://www.rastayngo.com

at Jharoka Art Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan 29 January 2010

at Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts, Islamabad, Pakistan 29 May 2009

References

  1. ↑ Report in The News, leading newspaper of Pakistan, on Sunday, 24 May 2009. Article titled as 'Showcasing Human Emotions in Luminous Colors', p. 1
  2. ↑ Latest of many books published is "Kalam e Iqbal per fanni Eitrazat" by Prof. Doctor Ayub Sabir, published by Poorab Academy, first Edition March 2012, p. 2.
  3. ↑ Report published in The News, newspaper, Islamabad, Pakistan. Article titled as "Showcasing Human Emotions in Luminous Colors" on Sunday, 24 May 2009, p. 3
  4. ↑ Article published about her personal life in Dateline Islamabad, newspaper, titled as Poetry mingles with art at Hunerkada by Jonaid Iqbal on Thursday, 15 March 2012, p. 4.
  5. ↑ Reports by The Nation, and The News, Pakistan on Monday, 3 May 2009, p. 5.
  6. ↑ Report by DAWN, newspaper, Islamabad, Titled as Exhibition of Faiza's Paintings opens, on 23 May 2009, p. 6.
  7. ↑ Archives:Daily Times, newspaper, Saturday 30 January 2010, Paintings show ‘Constant Love in a Caprice World’: Article titled as FAIZA'S INSIGNIA OF EMOTIONS EXHIBITED AT JHAROKA, Staff Report, p. 7.
  8. ↑ Report by The News, on Tuesday, 5 April 2011, Islamabad. Article titled as ‘Rastay’ presents a grand medley of contemporary art, p. 8.
  9. ↑ Report by Associated Press of Pakistan, ISLAMABAD, 5 April 2011, titled as: Cultural activities vital to eradicate extremist mindset, p. 9.
  10. ↑ Pakistan Observer, 6 April 2011. Article, Exhibition of Art work by 100 artists, p. 10.
  11. ↑ Report from the Newspaper "Dawn", 6 April 2011 ISLAMABAD. Article titled as: Works of 150 artists on display at NAG, p. 11
  12. ↑ Report by The News, newspaper, Islamabad, on Monday, 9 May 2011. Article titled:Camaraderie for art, artists at Jharoka Art Gallery, p. 12
  13. ↑ Report by Associated Press of Pakistan,ISLAMABAD, 5 April 2011, article titled as: Cultural activities vital to eradicate extremist mindset, p. 13.
  14. ↑ Report published in "The News", newspaper,Islamabad, Pakistan, article titled as: Expressing solidarity with victims of honour killing, on Friday, 15 July 2011, p. 14.
  15. ↑ http://www.rastayngo.com , p.15.

Further reading

External links