I Possess A Hundred Fortresses
Huma Shoaib
XVA gallery
2021
graphite, gouache and paper cut drawing
102 x 102 cm
Huma Shoaib’s work raises questions about the division created amongst people in the name of personal beliefs. By amalgamating patterns from various religious and sacred geometry she brings forth the similarities between beliefs and human psyche. Simultaneously she touches the very notion of imperfections in us and our quest and desire for perfection. She uses paper cut drawings and silhouettes layered together along with detailed graphite drawings giving three dimensionality to otherwise flat imagery, hence giving it depth and multitude of meaning.
Born to Pakistani parents and raised in Saudi Arabia, Huma Shoaib took her formal training as an artist from the prestigious National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan. Though graduated with painting as a major she has also worked with various techniques of printmaking. Using parts of religious and sacred geometry Huma’s work explores the fine line amongst different belief that unites as well as separates them. Searching through the iconic geometry linked with different belief systems, her work describes the obsession of human nature with perfection and the divine. She regularly exhibits in Dubai.