Artist Statement:

DRAWING A DIVERSION catalogue text:-

Farina Alam's beautifully intricate drawings are captivating first for their astonishing detail and the sheer feat of controlled activity in their production. Built up of diminutive quill marks, her drawings initially appear entirely concerned with abstract pattern yet slowly reveal their figuration, often distorted either through viewpoint or fragmentation. Alam's current work is concerned with the custom of marriage in Pakistan. The distortion and positioning of the figures is used to consider the societal perception of the bride, whilst formally the drawings reference the elaborate wedding dress of a Pakistani bride and the important function of decoration.

Farina Alam was born in Pakistan, where she lived and worked until re-locating to London in 1998. Alam's drawing method is informed by traditional Pakistani miniature painting, particularly the linear style of the Kangra region.