Everyday over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting the shortlisted artists for The 2022 Sovereign Asian Art Prize – the 18th edition of Asia’s most prestigious prize for contemporary artists. Selected from over 400 entries, the finalists hail from 16 countries and regions across Asia-Pacific. Of the artists, 27 are new to The Prize – appearing in our shortlist for the first time. Read on to discover more about our finalists, their key points of inspiration, and why it is important to champion the work of artists from Asia-Pacific.  

Ayessha Quraishi (Pakistan) was shortlisted for her work The day could not pen what the night painted., encapsulating her belief that the day and night are strung through a continuum of breaths; we have no memory of sleep, sensory experience or recording.

You mention that you work in a way ‘natural to you since childhood’ – how did you develop this style?

I did not develop this style; instead, I did not give it up. I came to paint directly with my hands instinctively, initially by applying paint with my fingers to create lines while the palm of my hand smeared it on the surface. I added colours and repeated the process until the work was complete. A brush could not replace the sense of touch.

Over time, as the concerns shifted from the physical to the emotional and phycological, I discovered an expressive and expansive language of mark-making by not just adding paint but by subtracting it simultaneously to address a personal thematic.

What draws you to the subject of sleep and the passing of time?

Realising that the self is identified with a cluster of thoughts and emotions gathered from one’s interaction with the outer world and that this notion subsides in a state of sleep, I ask, who then am I? Who is the one that is experiencing this world? Who is it that sleeps? Indeed, there is a distance between what I am and what I gather.

The answer, perhaps, rests in this in-between space, one that is not a void, nor is it a thing, that I am drawn to. It is alive in stillness, revealing and supporting form; like a musical note rests upon silence to be heard, the dancer requires stillness for movement; a gap between two thoughts and sleep between moments of wakefulness.

What is the significance of your colour palette?

I usually work with a monochromatic palette when the inquiry is anchored in experiential rather than conceptual concerns. Here, the blue represents not so much the colour of the night but the deep of night and its lighter tone suggests the day as a continuum.

How important is it to support the work of artists in Asia-Pacific?

The Asia-Pacific region is large and diverse yet has been underrepresented in the global art discourse. It would be advantageous to include voices from this region to enhance our collective knowledge base. Contemporary artists often work at a cross-section of personal and public currents and can provide insights and direction otherwise missed in media. It is this space I feel the Sovereign Art Foundation has been dedicated to creating over the years, and I particularly value their investment in children’s education in the region.

To vote for Quraishi’s work, click here. The most popular finalist will receive the Public Vote Prize and USD1000.

To register interest in purchasing Quraishi’s artwork, click here. Artwork sales will be launched in person and online during Art Central, from 26 – 29 May 2022. Proceeds will be spilt equally between the artist and our charitable programmes.

Want to learn about our other finalists? Tune in tomorrow for Azin Zolfaghari’s interview. To read previous artists’ interviews, click here.