Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light invites you to become part of the art. Agha, a Pakistani American artist, animates spaces with her large-scale sculptural installations. Suspended from the ceiling, Aghaâs steel cubes are laser-cut with intricate designs that project geometric shadows onto the visitor. She draws on both the light and dark of her own life, using South Asian art practices to convey the gender discrimination she faced growing up as a young girl in Pakistan. An in-depth exploration of Islamic architecture, art, and identity, this is the first solo exhibition of a Pakistani American artist in SAMâs 90-year history. Agha is carving a name out for herself in the art worldâvisit the Seattle Asian Art Museum for an immersive and illuminating experience.
About the artist
Agha received her BFA from the National College of Arts, Lahore, and an MFA from the University of North Texas. Major solo exhibits include the Shirley Sherwood Galleries at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London; Museum of Oriental Art, Turin; Cummer Museum of Art; Columbia Art Museum in South Carolina; Peabody Essex Museum; The Dallas Contemporary Art Museum; Cincinnati Art Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville; the Philbrook Museum of Art; North Carolina Art Museum; and the Toledo Museum of Art.
Agha is currently the subject of a touring retrospective, Interwoven, curated by the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Most recently, the artist was a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Center Residency in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work has been acquired by both institutions and private collectors, nationally and internationally.