Bold pieces of art on display at Rohtas

Two artists present a fresh take on portraying the concept of virginity and the perception of femininity.

ISLAMABAD: Femininity seems to be the food for thought for most artists globally. Mariam Agha, a Karachi based artist, presents a fresh take on portraying the concept of virginity and the perception of femininity in her latest collection at Rohtas Gallery.

The two-person display ‘Screaming Whispers’ showcases contemporary artists Mariam Agha and Osman Hyder. The exhibition comprises digital drawings, silicon sculptures, screen prints, mixed media and acrylic on pen.

“The concept of women as property, honor, and reward is so deeply entrenched in the social, political and economic fabric of Pakistan,” says Agha, “that daring to defy traditions in a man’s world could lead to an atrocious ending.”

The artist embodies these issues in her work and commentates on the ideology of femininity. In a society where women are looked upon as a piece of flesh, Agha glorifies the vagina in her sculptures and exemplifies the nature of virginity in Pakistan.

The egg shaped silicon sculptures open a crevice that symbolises the vagina and the embellishments surrounding it protects the sanctity and the beauty of sacred opening into a woman’s self.

“No imagery is innocent. The images are never transparent windows to the world. They interpret the world,” explains

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2011.