Shaheen Kasmani
Shaheen is a London born and raised, east African Asian textile artist and designer with a background in language, literature and education. Her specialism is in surface pattern and textile design, principally using traditional patterns and motifs in both conventional and contemporary contexts.
She likes her work to be part of telling a story. It could be celebrating something long forgotten, exploring a theme or idea, or a reclamation of the narrative from those who have hijacked or imposed their own upon others.
In the Hearts of Green Birds I 2018
Shaheen Kasmani
Watercolour, natural pigment and 23k shell gold on paper behind laser cut raw silk
In the Hearts of Green Birds I - Detail
Shaheen has been researching and reading about those who pay the ultimate price after being innocently caught up in the cycles of structural, state violence. There is an ever-growing list of those who suffer at the hands of others. This includes the Rohingya and Yemeni people, those trying to escape war across the Mediterranean and victims of police brutality and the Grenfell disaster. There are systems and narratives that allow and enable this to happen. However, there is a hadith* [in Sahih Muslim] that says that the martyrs are in the hearts of green birds, freely roaming Jannah (Paradise). This is something that gives Shaheen hope in justice and freedom for all.
*Hadith are collections of sayings attributed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
In the Hearts of Green Birds I 2018
In the Hearts of Green Birds II 2018
Shaheen Kasmani
Watercolour, natural pigment and 23k shell gold on paper behind laser cut raw silk
Shaheen has been researching and reading about those who pay the ultimate price after being innocently caught up in the cycles of structural, state violence. There is an ever-growing list of those who suffer at the hands of others. This includes the Rohingya and Yemeni people, those trying to escape war across the Mediterranean and victims of police brutality and the Grenfell disaster. There are systems and narratives that allow and enable this to happen. However, there is a hadith* [in Sahih Muslim] that says that the martyrs are in the hearts of green birds, freely roaming Jannah (Paradise). This is something that gives Shaheen hope in justice and freedom for all.
*Hadith are collections of sayings attributed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
In the Hearts of Green Birds II 2018
In the Hearts of Green Birds III 2018
Shaheen Kasmani
Watercolour, natural pigment and 23k shell gold on paper behind laser cut raw silk
Shaheen has been researching and reading about those who pay the ultimate price after being innocently caught up in the cycles of structural, state violence. There is an ever-growing list of those who suffer at the hands of others. This includes the Rohingya and Yemeni people, those trying to escape war across the Mediterranean and victims of police brutality and the Grenfell disaster. There are systems and narratives that allow and enable this to happen. However, there is a hadith* [in Sahih Muslim] that says that the martyrs are in the hearts of green birds, freely roaming Jannah (Paradise). This is something that gives Shaheen hope in justice and freedom for all.
*Hadith are collections of sayings attributed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
In the Hearts of Green Birds III 2018
Hummingbird 2018
Shaheen Kasmani
Watercolour, natural pigment and shell gold on khādi paper
Hummingbird 2018
Peacock 2018
Shaheen Kasmani
Watercolour, natural pigment and shell gold on khādi paper
Peacock 2018