a life in art

In this episode we speak to the internationally renowned artist Faiza Butt. We discuss the influences behind her stunningly detailed works, as well as issues that have been thrown up by the Coronavirus crisis. We talk about her ceramic work, a medium Faiza has a strong affiliation with, as well as the techniques used in her paintings, and how her experiences at the Slade School of Art changed her practice. We also discuss how life in London and the experiences of her children bleed into her work.

New paintings by Faiza are on display at Grosvenor Gallery from 11-26 June 2020, as part of the show ‘Form & Figure: Bodies of Art’, curated by Dr Zehra Jumabhoy, (in association with Canvas Gallery). The exhibition features the work of three figurative artists; Faiza Butt, Ali Kazim and Salman Toor. Their paintings explore the human form; probing ideas of the body, desire, masculinity and representations of alterity. Faiza also decodes the visuals used in her new works, which are partly based on childhood memories of bucolic gardens and fruit farms in Pakistan.

Follow @faizaaugust7 on Instagram, and see images of the work in the exhibition ‘Form & Figure’ at grosvenorgallery.com or @grosvenorgallery on Instagram. Older work by Faiza will be posted on @alifeinart. Faiza’s 2010 show ‘Pehlwan’, which is talked about in the episode is available on the Grosvenor Gallery website under 'past exhibitions'.

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British painter Elisabeth Deane’s love of Indian miniature painting was born from a trip to Shantiniketan in West Bengal in 2011. Inspired by the work of polymath Rabindranath Tagore, she went on to study under Rajasthani masters, and later at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London. Her work is a mix of rigid geometry and flowing figurative work, drawing from sources as varied as Persian and Indian miniatures and folklore to Islamic geometry. Her first solo-show, 'Rhythmic Measures', was held at Grosvenor Gallery in December 2019.