I think these ideas come from a very personal place of how I have been affected by being queer and South-Asian, but I also do believe there is an underlying link between all of them. These themes in my work are about something bigger than us, a higher power or something divine, something that belongs to a community and a lineage of people history has been so cruel to. What I’m constantly trying to do is look into the future of this kind of identity and give a visceral offering of what it could be. I’m not trying to create answers; instead, I’m more interested in creating feelings of empowerment, serenity and awe.
The philosophy of Islamic ornamentation is based on the perfection and beauty of Allah’s creations seen in nature; these patterns are used as a visual language to venerate the divine being, and it’s empowering to utilise this as someone who crosses the binaries of mainstream Islamic ideas. Looking at how technology can be used in harmony with nature is a 21st-century version of Gothic or Islamic ornamentation as we are utilising the most basic tools (such as the elements) to think forward and venerate not a singular male god but the land.
This idea of celebration and love of a community, a sisterhood or network system, is essentially a queer subject as it’s the means of our survival. I think this is a very important issue, especially now during all the discussions about climate change – people are waking up and realising the effect climate change is having on indigenous, brown and queer people. We are going through a re-enchantment of the world, and harmonising technology and nature is essential to that.