For my exhibition project at the Gandhara-art Space in my hometown of Karachi, I soundtracked my life as a girl, growing up and living in Pakistan.
I created the album (‘Women of my Land’) and a series of accompanying illustrations. Each illustration represents a specific song and theme.
This is one of them.
⭐✨COSMIC⚡NINJA✨⭐⭐✨COSMIC⚡NINJA✨
Being religious and being groovy don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
In the end, who are we to judge each other?
Every woman has a right to her religion.
And her personal interpretation of it.
The song and artpiece are dedicated to two beautiful, passionate, and brilliantly talented twin sisters from Thatta: Noor Unnahar Siddique & Areeba Siddique. Seeing their work, their thoughts, their meditations on Islam has been inspirational.
Editor’s note: Samya Arif’s work draws from the 1970s psychedelic art movement, and from themes found in traditional Pakistani art. The colorful taxicab interior she designed, three years ago, was part of a Coldplay music video (Hymn for the Weekend). Samya’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Vice, Pitchfork, and The Fader. She has exhibited at the Southbank Center in London. You can find her online here.
