In a recent article by The AMP, an online publication of the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4), Shahzia Sikander discussed her work and current exhibition.

In an interview with Shannon Lee, Sikander considers the evolution of her project, beginning with the 18-foot high Witness (2023) on view in Madison Square Park and NOW (2023), installed on the rooftop of the neighboring Appellate Division Courthouse. The article offers a unique view into the thought process and ideation of a renowned artist.

When asked why and how she chose the female figure for this commission, Sikander noted, “Society’s perception of the tensions between women and power and how erasure is enacted by the social forces that shape women’s lives constructs what femininity means to me. The feminine as the monstrous, the abject, the fecund, the immense, and the vulnerable have permeated literary history. Intimacy, selfhood, valor, resistance, and femininity’s intersections with race and war are indicators of the fear that lurks when boundaries melt.”

Havah…to breathe, air, life remains on view through June 4.

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