Fitz paintings inspired artist exhibiting at Jesus College

Shahzia Sikander: Unbound at Jesus College’s West Court Gallery features new paintings made by the artist in response to an album of 17th-century erotic Indian paintings in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.

In this short video, Sikander and art historian Dr Vivek Gupta, curator of Unbound, and Postdoctoral Associate in Islamic Art, visit the archives at the Fitzwilliam Museum to examine the paintings which are the inspiration for Sikander’s ‘Khilvat’ Series.

Over the course of her career, Sikander has been a pioneer in the study of early modern archives of Islamic and South Asian manuscripts for her contemporary practice.

Shahzia Sikander: Unbound examines her innovations within manuscript techniques such as serialisation, cutting and pasting, and calligraphy. Sikander experiments with these practices in a range of media including drawing, painting, print, mosaic, animation, and, most recently, sculpture.

The exhibition is free to visit and runs until 18 February 2022, with a temporary closure over Christmas (December 23 to January 3). For more details visit the event listing.