KARACHI – Riaz Mehmood’s artistic practice engages web-based research along with film and video. As an artist, he is interested in how historical research could shape the ways in which knowledge is constructed and conveyed.
“In my work, I use random images selected from the web to reconstruct and illustrate stories, myths and religious texts,” says Mehmood.
He is also drawn towards issues around the colonial project and identity politics as these issues have greatly impacted his own identity and practice.
In some of his works, he relies greatly on a collaborative process to filter and shift the narratives he finds.
“I continue to use this method to strengthen the basis of my work and to shape the ways in which my archive of research grows,” he says.
He sees this process of reconstructing stories as a means to make sense of knowledge production and to create a sense of placement in history.
Through his work, he hopes to show how knowledge could be reedited and made to fit his own understanding of the world around him.
Of Pakistani origin, Mehmood is a Montreal/Toronto-based, experimental film and video artist. He graduated from the Integrated Media programme at the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2005.
His multidisciplinary practice encompasses performance, video and photography. His interests include exploring issues of representation and race, history and media. His work has been shown internationally, including in the US, Canada and Indonesia.
