GLOBAL VOICES VOLUME. 6 ISSUE. 2
Capturing the Beauty
by Kelly Izdihar Crosby
“The power of calligraphy surrounded me in my upbringing as a Muslim, and I realized how beautiful calligraphy is with the accuracy of each letter, its measurement and proportion."
Through their art, a number of Muslim women choose to use creativity as an act of worship and a tool for promoting peace and understanding. Shahida Ahmed is one such artist.
Born in the United Kingdom to Pakistani parents, Ms. Ahmed discovered her talents unexpectedly on a chilly London day, when she discovered her hidden love for pottery and ceramics. “When I was in college, I often had to wait for my sister outside of the pottery room while she was doing her course,” she explained. “Peter Hall, who was the head of ceramics, used to see me waiting regularly. One day he said, ‘Instead of waiting on the step, why don’t you join the pottery class?’ I thoroughly enjoyed the manipulation of clay and the enjoyment I achieved from making sculptural pieces.” Thus, a seemingly random moment turned into a career in the arts.
After graduating from college, Ms. Ahmed received a scholarship to the Royal College of Arts and, in 1996 she was given a licentiateship for the Society of Designer Craftsmen, the oldest and largest crafts society in England. Although the budding artist hadn’t thought of pursuing visual arts until she entered college, she grew up in a creative family that nurtured the talents of its children. Hailing from a family of weavers, painters and craftsmen, she relates their artistic history, “My mother was a creative ambassador. She made clothes, taught us how to make our own dolls and stitch dresses for them. My grandfather’s brother was an artist in Pakistan who painted landscapes in watercolors.”
When her family immigrated to the United Kingdom from Pakistan they continued their artistic tradition by founding Shehzad Textiles. Seeing the bright, multicolored patterns gave Shahida a childhood full of inspiration and creativity. “When my parents came to the UK, my uncle and father set up their own business. Their business introduced me to textiles and patterns,” she said. Ms. Ahmed also mentions her sister as a later influence on her career. “My sister Adeeba was already in art school studying textiles and she was a big inspiration,” she says.
Her relatives in this traditional Pakistani Muslim family encouraged her and her sister to chase any star they liked. “When we were growing up, my parents encouraged us to pursue a career in whatever we chose to do. We were very fortunate as Muslim girls of Pakistani heritage to go to college.” They also taught the girls to differentiate between what is cultural and what is religious. “Culture is heritage, and religious values are beliefs,” said Ms. Ahmed. “It was important for us to grow up knowing these differences. Many people confuse religion with culture, so we give out mixed messages.”
Ms. Ahmed’s artistic spirit led her to travel throughout the Muslim world in search of inspiration, and what she discovered has profoundly influenced her art. “I’m influenced by the poetry of Rumi and my travels to Turkey, Morocco and Pakistan,” said the artist. “Some of my new works feature the mesmerizing whirling dervishes as well as new ceramic pieces and bismallah paintings adorned with gold leaf.”
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