ArtReview Tell ArtReview what you plan to exhibit in Venice. What has influenced or inspired you?
Faiza Butt I have adopted a two-prong approach. Not only do I want to draw from the rich cultural history of Punjab, Pakistan, I also want to combine my research with a social purpose and community engagement. Pakistan, as an emerging South Asian nation of staggering population, faces multiple challenges. I want to present a body of work that can be a legacy in the reservoir of knowledge, and document practices that can potentially go extinct in the current industrial age. Art that engages socially has been the bedrock of my practice. My inspiration comes from non-fine art sources such as folk crafts and intergenerational practices of functional arts. My project combines historic information with aesthetics and craftsmanship. The research is driven from historic monuments, museum collections, memory and imagination, working with women artisans, natural dyes and techniques homed in time.
