SHAHZIA SIKANDER (Pakistani-American, b. 1969)
Pathology of Suspension
2008

Wool and silk tapestry with raised silk embroidery.
Edition 3 of 5
106 1/2 x 70 in. (270 x 178 cm.)

A pioneering Pakistani American artist, Sikander is one of the most influential artists today. She has consistently stretched the boundaries of the traditional miniature painting, mixing up different eras and painting styles and exploring various mediums. In this tapestry, Sikander has scaled up a small silkscreen work titled The Illustrated Page into this large wool and silk tapestry. This work borrows its format from the left-hand page, hence the missing border along the right edge. The outside floral border remains similar to the original, while the space between the border and inner landscape, reinvented by Sikander, is replete with ornate flora and fauna. The stylized and flattened landscape in the center is taken from the right-hand page of The Illustrated Page. The circling dark silhouettes that have appeared in numerous of her works are the simplified form of the dark hair of Krishna’s gopis (milkmaids). Here the shapes assume the appearance of black birds that break out of the tranquil landscape to create a circle of energy.