The project explores the artist’s experiences of isolation and exclusion after moving to the UK from Pakistan. The challenges of navigating cultural, linguistic, and religious differences continue to shape a sense of belonging.
The work reflects the feelings of being caught between two worlds, as a non-practising Muslim and a Western-inspired artist, and the feelings of disconnection, frustration, and being out of place.
The question of identity first emerged when I moved to a place where I did not feel a sense of belonging. This project is focused on addressing how people from one part of the world perceive and respond to different cultures and values from their own.
These experiences led me to look inward and begin to reconnect with my faith. The work follows this current journey in three stages: feeling drawn to tradition while fearing judgment from others, quietly practising faith in private, and gradually moving towards a spiritual enlightenment and inner peace.
Inspired by Sufism, including the calligraphy of Bulleh Shah’s poetry with personal photographs, these visual elements reflect an active, evolving relationship with faith and identity.
Through this work, the artist builds a space for spiritual expression, healing, and self-acceptance shaped by both rejection and resilience.
