As an artist, Asma Ahmed Shikoh’s concerns are her immediate environment. Shikoh grew up in a society constrained by tradition, threaded through with colonial legacy and subjected to the most rapid changes due to the impact of globalisation.
“My work has attempted to define national and cultural identities of a society in flux. Ronald from McDonalds and Colonel Sanders of the Kentucky Fried Chicken became revered icons in the imagery of my artwork – celebrating, dancing, invading, controlling and challenging the very vulnerable and sacred ideals of nationalism in our society,” Shikoh says.
“Moving to New York, the fascination with city life and its impact on personal identity continue to grow,” she says.
The magnitude of New York City’s structures and its tremendous ability to absorb diversity holds her in awe.
Her body of work titled ‘Home’ documents her personal experiences of getting married and adopting the city as her new home.
She incorporates varied visual styles and materials through which she is exploring her identity as a Muslim, an immigrant and a mother of an American-born baby. “As I paint, I embrace the city’s territories, its revered icons and grow closer to it just as I do when I walk its avenues and streets,” Shikoh concludes.
Photos courtesy Asma Ahmed Shikoh
