Holy matrix 2005

Saira Wasim’s miniature paintings parody wealth and power, particularly focusing on those who suffer political, religious and social injustice. In these two works, she uses the delicate form of the Mughal miniature to convey the tragic death of innocents in a world motivated by politics and racial hatred. Wasim often draws on imagery of circuses or the theatre; in Lamentation of innocence (Genocide), the red backdrop suggests both artifice and violence. In Holy matrix, animals represent the general public while religious leaders are posed as shepherds with animal features, simultaneously ominous and farcical.