Tazeen Qayyum

Place: Karachi

Born: 1973

Biography:

Tazeen Qayyum is a Pakistani-born Canadian conceptual artist working in a variety of media including miniature painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, and video. Her work explores issues of identity, immigration, socio-political conflict, and her Muslim identity. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1973, Qayyum studied miniature painting at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, graduating in 1996 with a BFA.

Early Work and Inspiration

As a response to the 9/11 attacks, Qayyum began using the cockroach as a metaphor to connote the loss of life in the subsequent wars connected to the attacks, as well as fear and misunderstanding of other cultures. While the cockroach first appeared as part of her miniature painting practice, it would evolve into sculpture and installation work including A Holding Pattern, a multi-media piece that was installed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport in 2013. Qayyum's more recent circular text pieces are performative based and originate from her work with installations of the repeated forms of cockroaches. Recurring singular phrases written in the Urdu (the artist's mother tongue) are drawn from the centre of the paper or canvas, concentrically moving out. These performances have been as long as twenty-four hours in duration.

Exhibitions and Performances

Qayyum's work has been shown internationally in solo exhibitions including Miniature Paintings, Gallery Jutner, AIR Program, Vienna, Austria (2000), The Human Dichotomy, Aicon Contemporary (2008), and Tazeen Qayyum: Descent at Canvas Gallery, Karachi (2018). Her group exhibitions include Elusive Realities: recent works by Tazeen Qayyum and Sumaira Tazeen, Chawkandi Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan (2008), and Beyond Measure: Domesticizing Distance, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa (2015). Qayyum's drawing-based performances include Unvoiced held at the 1st Karachi Biennale, Pakistan in 2017, and 'We do not know who we are where we go’, which was part of the Mixer Project at The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto (2016).

• Miniature painting: Qayyum's work in miniature painting is a reflection of her cultural heritage and her interest in exploring the human condition.
• Performance art: Qayyum's performances are a testament to her ability to push boundaries and challenge societal norms.
• Video art: Qayyum's use of video as a medium allows her to explore issues of identity, immigration, and socio-political conflict in a more immersive and engaging way.

Personal Life and Bibliography

Qayyum is married to digital media artist Faisal Anwar and lives in Oakville, Ontario. Her work has been featured in several publications, including Border Cultures by Srimoyee Mitra, Beyond Measure: Domesticizing Distance by Ambereen Siddiqui, and Artificial Paradise by Asim Akhter. https://Wikioo.org/@/Tazeen Qayyum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tazeen_Qayyum