Meet Fatima Fasih.
Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, Fatima is a half Pakistani half Indian artist currently bringing Pakistani aesthetic to the Canadian art scene.
Painting since the age of 4, Fatima began her journey with watercolors after the summer of 2010, with Pakistan reduced to rubble after the massive floods.
“In the summer of 2010, my first summer away from Pakistan, and first in Canada, Pakistan was hit by a major flood that really impacted the lives of many of the most loved people in my life – especially my nanny/bua who had moved to a village near Multan. Despite being such a devastating flood, many of my friends didn’t know what was happening in Pakistan so I decided to make portraits. A series of ten of these portraits were made and soon, the President of Pakistan Youth Alliance saw them and before I knew it, these artworks were being auctioned in Pakistan and Canada. More than $5,000 were raised and used to provide emergency relief for the victims. That was the beginning of Fatima Fasih Watercolors.”
Fasih chose watercolors as a medium of expression and soon after, decided to unleash her creativity by displaying Pakistani culture to the world.
“I decided to create artwork with purpose and a story that could engage audiences of all kind. Off and on, I would paint about aspects of artwork in Pakistan’s culture, such as the embroideries and traditional handicrafts, from folk musicians in Baluchistan, female farmer in Tharparkar to the the beautiful headpieces of the girls in Kalash. Through art, I sought to make people understand a different view of Pakistan – separate from the popular Western media, because I did not grow up with that version, at all.”
Fasih continued the legacy of painting for a social cause when she did it for Tharparkar’s droughts in 2013
“The portraits of women and children in the Sindhi district really struck people to learn about the devastation of Tharparkar droughts. In 2014, through a team of friends and an art-ivist café, in Mississauga, I was able to fundraise around $10,000 for the Oxfam Syrian Refugee Emergency Fund. Despite our efforts to help raise awareness about the atrocities of war and its impacts on innocent women and children, the war continues to exist and affecting many, many people – hence, I continue to volunteer for art events within Mississauga and Toronto to fund-raise more for the Syrian people.”
Calling herself a proud feminist, she has also begun to showcase her art for women’s causes from around the world.
Participating in a summit on the impacts of Women in Conflict with her exhibit, Fatima was able to raise money for the Stop Rape in Conflicts campaign by Nobel Women’s Institute.
Source: Fatima Fasih
“Roles of women across the world that were not just victims, but also heroes and peace activites, like Leymah Gbowee or Malalai Kakar were part of this exhibit. I profiled girls like Malala, the Kurdish fighters in Syria, and the orphaned girls of the Rohingya people. It was a difficult struggle for me to find positive stories from this project as all that was available on the surface to see were images of raped women and girls, but with more research, I made sure I found stories that would inspire more people.”
She continues to develop her art and has started to gain recognition for her wonderful work by the international community.
“Since the exhibit, I was able to earn the University of Toronto Women’s Centre Scholarship for my work. I have also begun to show verses of the Quran that highlight the values of tolerance and peace within our communities and beyond as the newer perspective of terrorism and fear. I did not grow up differentiating culture from religion and valued both equally. Hence, I’ve used both my religious and cultural values to build bridges between East and West.”
Fatima wishes to continue to raise her voice through her art for causes that are near and dear to her.
And hopes to continue to use art as a medium to engage people in understanding the value of social and environmental sustainability in the world.
You can check out here gallery here.
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