Impression numérique sur papier aquarelle, montée sur panneau Alupanel, 2023
The selected work is part of the series Allow Me to Sow and See the Garden I Become, first presented as a solo exhibition in Montréal. In the series, I consider who we might become when given the conditions to grow, referencing Afghanistan’s history of prolonged foreign intervention and war. I ask, if a nation is shaped by conflict and sustained through military input, how can it yield anything but a “war garden”? Conversely, what might emerge if it is allowed to develop organically? Floral imagery operates as a symbol of hope, marking both the beginning and culmination of growth.
Shaheer Zazai is an Afghan-Canadian artist working across painting and digital media. He examines the formation of cultural identity within contemporary geopolitical conditions and diasporic experience. Using platforms such as Microsoft Word and Excel, he creates digital works that draw on the visual language of Afghan carpets, whereas his paintings turn inward, addressing vulnerability and fear. Expanding into textiles, installation, and video, his approach has become increasingly self-reflective and materially diverse.
Zazai is a recipient of the 2024 Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts Award and Ontario Arts Council grants and was a finalist for the EQ Bank Emerging Digital Artists Award. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Aga Khan Museum (Toronto), the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (New Plymouth, NZ), and the Leila Heller Gallery (New York), and is held in major collections such as the National Gallery of Canada and the Microsoft Art Collection.