Art by Risham Syed; photo courtesy of Newark Museum of Art
(NEWARK, NJ) -- The Newark Museum of Art is presenting Risham Syed: Destiny Fractured an exhibition of works responding to the museum's permanent collection on view now through March 7th, 2027. Some of the inspirational artworks from NMOA's collection include American landscapes, Chinese scroll paintings, and the period rooms in The Ballantine House.
The artist has created new artworks for the exhibition alongside her previous installations and NMOA collection objects in the Global Contemporary galleries as well as in the landscape gallery in Seeing America. Syed has produced art in a variety of mediums, including videos, embroidered silk panels, installations with paintings and objects, and printed textiles.
The Pakistan-born and based artist sheds light on current events by turning to history. She exposes hidden relationships of colonialism, capitalism, and climate change by juxtaposing historical American and contemporary Pakistani scenes and stories. Taking colonialism as her starting point, she creates an immersive space to transport us back to the nineteenth century. As you experience the comfortable setting, enjoy the luxurious furnishings and fabrics. When you look closely, notice how the imagery and text reveal the damaging effects of expansionism and industrialism. The artist splinters seemingly pleasant environments to offer an alternate lens for viewing the past and the present.
Risham Syed is a Lahore-based artist who uses painting, as well as other mediums to explore questions of history, sociology, and politics. Syed is the sixth artist, and first international artist, to participate in The Newark Museum of Art Global Contemporary series. Matthew Brandt, Wolfgang Gil, Saya Woolfalk, Adama Delphine Fawundu, and Bony Ramirez have been featured in the program.
Risham Syed: Destiny Fractured is organized by Atteqa Ali, Associate Curator, Arts of Global Asia. The Newark Museum of Art is located at 49 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey.
Founded in 1909 and located on a four-acre campus in the heart of Newark, New Jersey, The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) is the state's largest museum and ranks twelfth nationally in terms of collection size. Global and diasporic, the collection includes more than 300,000 works from the ancient world to the art of today, including significant holdings of science and natural history. Visitor-and community-centered, NMOA responds to the evolving needs and interests of the diverse publics it serves by offering exhibitions, programming, a research library, paid internships, and local and global partnerships. Under the leadership of Director and CEO Linda C. Harrison, NMOA has launched an era of transformation to create an engaged citizenry by reimagining the role of the art museum for the 21st century.
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