In the works of Sayema Shaikh we see abstract landscapes of emotion and memory melding consistently with natural elements. Working with texture and layers offers a tangible experience that exceeds conventional visual boundaries, inviting the viewer to engage in deep and immersive conversations with each canvas. By way of broad brushstrokes, vibrant hues and deliberate abstraction, Shaikh provokes a consideration of our internal landscape just as much as we consider the external landscapes through which we travel.
There is a wilderness and primal emotional resonance in her work, not in any literal way but as modes of the human experience — restful or charged. Neutral (muted browns and greys). These tones evoke weathered surfaces, neglected places, or the wisdom that comes with time. These colours bring the serious mindset that makes you think of life, and degeneration and memory. On the other hand, her vivid and less polished work feels expressive, transformative and full of a living force—so powerful it almost hums. They are vibrant and splash growth rather than capture, alive as the feeling of raw intensity and emotional amongst perhaps the earth on tremble.
The brushstrokes of Shaikh speak a language of flow and change — recalling transition landscapes, perhaps instances of dawn, dusk or just the evanescent nature of memory. In her work, there is a gentle tugging of light and dark, still and movement and in this opposition was found delicate balance that represents the struggle — simply the messiness of life. This visible tension may mirror the viewer’s own state of mind while being profoundly intimate yet universal.
And this abstraction in her painting leaves it open to so many interpretations — you might find nature, or you might find an echo of inner hurricanes and turmoil. There her genius resides in the open to interpretation — could-be-anybody or anywhere moments she creates, for viewers to use as a canvas onto which they can write their own story and lay their daydreams. Hers is less about this is what they are saying and more of this is what we are capable of discovering on our own within ourselves.
Texture and color are critical character in conveying meaning in Shaikh’s work. The texture of the paint, at times thick and dense, at times slick and calm, is multifaceted in that it plays against our senses as well as to our eyes—our attention drawn to not just form alone, but also the surface. With a color palette that frequently leans on earthen tones or bold monochromes, another layer of emotive resonance is added. Whether using the cool blues and greys of his palette or the fiery reds and browns Shaikh beautifully weaves colour with mood and remembrance.
Sayema Shaikh, in the end, issues an invitation to stop and think and discuss with the mysterious forces that govern us. As much as her art articulates the visible, it remains itself a negative space opening onto personal reflection and emotional resonance.
Feature Image: Rage by Sayema Shaikh | Courtesy: Abir Space
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Iftikar Ahmed is a New Delhi-based art writer & researcher.
