The images that form my latest work had been hovering at the outer edges of my consciousness for some odd twenty years. It took a casual trip to Morocco and in some mysterious fashion everything became clear in my imagination.
The images of architectural elements and artifacts are only seeds for inspiration. My motive is not to capture those images faithfully but use them as triggers to arrive at destinations all my own.
I strive to create this effect of extreme "activity" when the paintings are viewed up close and yet give the perception of "sublimeness" when viewed from a distance. For me, this quality permeates all of the Islamic architecture and ornate crafts.
By placing the dots so close, in different tones and colors, I could simulate the effect of the mosaics, carvings, and relief. It’s important for me to pay as much attention to the spaces between the dots as to the dots themselves. I create a colored base that does not serve as a background. In relationship to the "points" it forms the negative space that in turn becomes integral to the entire space.
Each dot has to be of a perfect tone and color. Each point is the result of a calculated and conscious effort. These innumerable points also have an esoterical value - that of how each atom exists in its own right and collectively come together to shape the universe. Each dot can also be a breath or a fleeting thought that come together to form our existence.
This process has a mysterious meditative quality for me.
Lubna Agha