Havva ki Nakahi

Havva ki Nakahi is part of a suite of seventeen works called Naguftaha – e – Hawwa (The unspoken words of Hawwa) that, in gallerist Mortimer Chatterjee’s words, “explores the relationship of Adam and Eve (Havva ) in the Islamic tradition and the ejection of Eve from heaven”.

The work is a typical example of Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai‘s (b.1988) use of scripture as form, as she frames the flower dye washes with lines taken from poetry and philosophy that the artist is influenced by. In accord with her take on the biblical story, the text is also meant to challenge the written scriptures that have, at times, been manipulated to oppress women. Ahmadzai draws from her fascination with Mughal and Persian miniatures and employs the formal qualities of minimalism to achieve a unique language rooted in the feminine. Alongisde Havva ki Nakahi, this is also apparent in Siyaah where the motif of an abstracted yet anatomical bleeding heart sits against delicate washes of flower dye and accents of gold, suggestive of a boldness as well as an extreme vulnerability.

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