Gowen Contemporary aims to showcase pioneering and cutting-edge artists engaged in experimental and critical approaches, often alongside significant works by historical and critically-acclaimed artists from private collections. For the 10th edition of Asia NOW, the gallery is delighted to present a solo show by Waseem Ahmed (b. 1976, Hyderabad).

One of Pakistan’s foremost contemporary miniature artists, Waseem Ahmed was raised in an immigrant Muhajir family who, due to their Muslim ethnicity migrated from India after Partition in 1947 to settle in the newly independent state of Pakistan.
The artists body of work garners deep, personal histories, as well as addressing complex social, political, and cultural contentions. The artist relates the past, revisiting generational heritage while bringing contemporary topics to the fore. One of several leading South Asian artists belonging to the neo-miniature movement who use tradition as a means towards innovation, Waseem Ahmed devises genuine, experimental approaches, transcending conventional miniature techniques, such as gouache and gold and silver leaf on wasli paper. Coloured, dry pigment and other alternative materials are incorporated to create finely rendered small- and large-scale works. In the custom of the genre, tea-stained paper gives subtle layers of colour, often applied as spattered patterns.

The presentation includes a selection of Waseem’s paintings, notably from his ongoing Invisible border series (2016-2023) which outwardly address area boundaries and refer specifically to the plight of refugees, as well as his most recent works, all offering an insight into his unique, artistic exploration. Waseem Ahmed has been exclusively represented in Europe by GOWEN since 2010.