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Ali Kazim mainly creates multilayered constructions using oil and water based pigments. The artist, using an unusual technique, creates a layered textured effect which is not usually seen with this media. Kazim started his career as a cinema hoarding painter in a small-town in Pakistan and he carried the technical skills he developed there to his current body of work.

Most frequently, the artist represents men in his paintings,...
Ali Kazim mainly creates multilayered constructions using oil and water based pigments. The artist, using an unusual technique, creates a layered textured effect which is not usually seen with this media. Kazim started his career as a cinema hoarding painter in a small-town in Pakistan and he carried the technical skills he developed there to his current body of work.

Most frequently, the artist represents men in his paintings, underlining their Dravidian features and heritage. His images provoke in the viewer feelings of uneasiness, presenting a perspective on the lives of ‘others’. Recently, the artist has also been experimenting with different media such as goatskin and leather to create objects and prints.

Kazim studied at Lahore’s National College of Art, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 2002. In 2011, he completed his Master’s degree in painting at the Slade School of Art, UK. The same year, he was awarded the Land Securities Studio Award Melvill Nettleship Prize for Figure Composition. In 2006, he completed a residency at Art Omi in New York, and in 2005 he was awarded a ROSL residency.

Kazim’s solo exhibitions include: ‘Rider’ at Green Cardamom, London, in 2009; Gallery Espace, New Delhi, in 2008; ‘Mid-career survey’ at Cartwright Hall Gallery, Bradford, in 2007; VM Art Gallery, Karachi, in 2007; Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York, in 2006; ‘Sacred Souls, Secret Lives’ at Green Cardamom, London, in 2006; Alhamra Art Galleries, Lahore, in 2006; Ejaz Gallery, Lahore, in 2005; Paradise Road Gallery, Colombo, in 2004; and Zahoor ul Ikhlaq Art Gallery, National College of Arts, Lahore, in 2004. He has exhibited in many group exhibitions such as ‘Drawn from life’ at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, in 2011; ‘Beyond the page’ at Asia Pacific Museum, USA, in 2010; ‘Drawn from life: drawing form’ at Green Cardamom, London, in 2010; ‘Oog in Oog’ at KOP Kunstenaars Ontmoetings Plaats, Breda, in 2009; ‘Inaugural Exhibition’ at National Art Gallery, Islamabad, in 2007; ‘Curious Ties; at the Lab Gallery, New York, in 2006; and ‘The Existence’ at Ejaz Gallery, Lahore, in 2004.

Kazim lives and works in Lahore. His work features in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane (Australia) and the Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi.

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