Pakistani printmaker makes waves at Indian Art Fair with miniature dresses

Bushra Waqas Khan, a printmaker and dressmaker based in Lahore, is breathing new life into state documents such as affidavit stamp papers by fashioning out of them intricate hand-stitched miniature couture pieces. The tiny dresses are heavy in political symbolism, exploring questions relating to colonialism and the female body. The artist’s work is being exhibited at the Indian Art Fair (IAF), for which she was recently interviewed by Vogue.

Her work features motifs borrowed from the design of the affidavit stamp paper, with the artist describing how she became enamoured with the five-pointed star nestled within the crescent moon. She explained to Vogue, “That piece of paper held more value than who you are in Pakistan,” adding, “It’s a proof of possession and our lives are all linked to it somehow.”

On how the paper plays a part in land ownership and inheritance, the National College of Arts (NCA) graduate continued, “While mothers bequeath their heirloom jewellery and clothes to their daughters, fathers give this piece of paper to their male heirs.” Through her creations, Bushra aims to question the unequal distribution of wealth between male and female heirs and critique the unfair family structure in Pakistan. 

“If you look at the motifs on the stamp paper, they do not seem to be from this region. Remove the star and the crescent emblems, remove the ‘Pakistan’ text written on it, and everything else is Western,” she says. “Similarly, the garments are a fusion of cultures. They represent a blend of who we are."

In a dress titled “A Well-Loved Slice of Leftovers”, the artist uses leftover fabric that would otherwise be discarded. On her thought process behind the exquisite silk and organza creation, she shared,  “I have felt ‘left over’ so many times, in terms of being a woman,” adding, “It’s a feeling many women face, since they are often the last ones to be thought of.”

Bushra debuted her first miniature dress in 2019, with the artist having had the honour of being a finalist for the Jameel Prize, organised by London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in collaboration with Art Jameel, aiming to recognise excellence in the field of contemporary art and design inspired by the Islamic tradition.