Hina Khan

4 September to 3 October, 2019

We are delighted to welcome Hina Khan as our first artist to receive the Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre / Cork County Council Artist in Residence Award. Hina, who moved from Pakistan in 2015 and is now living in Kinsale will be in resident at Uillinn from 4 September to 3 October which also coincides with Anita Groener's exhibition The Past is a Foreign Country, which addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time - the refugee crises - and our response to it.

Hina uses symbolism as a means to interpret ideas and express ideologies. Her paintings evoke emotions that have been drawn from her experiences of life and deals with themes of humanity and immigration. She researched the largest migration that has taken place on earth, the immigration of people in 1947 when Pakistan and India came into being.

Hina uses art as a means of activism and as a way to express feelings and pain. She uses Miniature in her work because of the intricacy and delicacy of the brush work enables her to capture different identities. She contrasts traditional and contemporary approaches in her work and is attracted by the graceful lines, rhythm and depth of colours in a miniature.

‘My work during this residency will be a series on immigration. I am comparing it to my ancestors who were displaced from their birthplace to live the rest of their life in a culture that was different from their own. I had witnessed the tears, the pain and helplessness throughout my childhood. I watched them planting a tree of their homeland to relieve their inner pain, I observed them breathing while facing toward their birth place. I have titled this series In search of Roots.

During the residency, Hina will present an Artist Talk and a workshop on making Wasli, a traditional, hand-made paper which is used in miniature paintings. She will also present a one-day open studio, where people can come and meet the artist and see her at work.

Hina Khan completed her MFA from FJWU (Fatima Jinnah Women University), Pakistan in 2003, with Miniature Painting as Major. Using a mixture of traditional and innovative techniques, Hina’s work portrays social issues, immigration and humanitarian crisis like prostitution, gender discrimination, restrictions, trauma, child abuse and killing. Hina has participated in a number of exhibitions in recent years in Dublin, Portloise and Mayo. Her Solo Show was also displayed at Ballina Art Center, Mayo in 2018. She is preparing her next Solo Show at Stradbally, Co. Laois in November 2019.

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council in making these residencies possible.