Maria Rasheed
Maria Rasheed, Study of a Mughal carpet fragment, 2023. Gouache on paper, 9 x 12 in (22.86 x 30.48 cm).
Maria Rasheed (b. 1987) is the first recipient of our PGV Artist Grant from the September 2023 cycle. Rasheed is a Dallas based, Pakistani artist, trained as a Visual Communication designer. She graduated in 2009, from Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan with a B.F.A Honors with a distinction (gold medalist). A mixed media artist with a keen interest in exploring various methods of painting, illustrating, and printing techniques such as linocuts and cyanotypes.
“My work is an exploration of home, migration, loss and memory. It’s a process that allows me to document and archive associations one develops with people, places and objects. I have previously exhibited in group shows in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan and curated exhibitions of hand-knotted carpets and kilims.”
Artist’s Statement:
There are places and memories depicted in my work; spaces I have experienced, inhabited, or built homes in (however temporary they may have been). Relocating to the U.S brought with it a shift towards exploring perceptions of migration, home, and memory. In documenting the lifecycle of a pomegranate tree, a Mughal carpet fragment, or my grandfather's prayer rugs, I am able to document memories of the past and reconnect with my roots in Pakistan.
Maria Rasheed, Prayer rugs, 2022. Linocut impressions on clay, 5 x 7 in (12.7 x 17.78 cm).
Within the decorative or ritualistic objects and elements depicted in my work, there is also fragility, loss, and frailty associated with them, reminiscent of my grandfather's fragmented memory, which deteriorated during his later years. The process of ‘washing’ involved in creating cyanotypes, strips away some detail and leaves behind a fragmented, dreamy image, suggestive of things in past.
The Artist Grant:
With the awarded grant Rasheed hopes to undertake a printmaking course at The Creative Arts Center of Dallas and/or at Iron Frog Press in Dallas which will allow her a unique opportunity to learn traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques that she has been wanting to employ in her work and expand on.
“Prayer rugs that feature in my work are often repeated, turning it into a meditative process and I feel that learning printmaking techniques will help me achieve this repetition in my work.”
Maria Rasheed, Prayer rugs, 2022. Cyanotypes on paper, 7 x 11 in (17.78 x 27.94 cm).
You can see more of Rasheed’s work on her Instagram, @maria.rasheed_.
Congratulations to Maria and thank you everyone for applying! Our next grant cycle will be upcoming in January 2024.