Curator Sadaf Padder talks about her group show, ALTER
ALTER
Featuring Keli Safia Maksud, Leila Weefur, Sandy Williams IV, Samira Idroos, Sanié Bokhari, Shelly Bahl and Suchitra Mattai. Curated by Sadaf Padder.
Curated by Sadaf Padder at Twelve Gates Arts, ALTER is a group exhibition offering critical commentary on material culture and physical space in ritual, religion and state. The conceptual, sculptural and installation-based exhibition unpacks patriarchy, heteronormativity and consumerism relating to devotional objects and structures. Drawing from under-recognized historical and ancient influences, the artistic inspiration spans Asia, Africa and the Americas and the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic religions. The works nimbly traverse the planes of the sacred and secular.
ALTER asks the questions, “When does an item become an idol and when does a person become an icon? Alternatively, how does artmaking challenge traditions of worship by way of iconoclasm?”. This show posits that there is an emergence of a pantheistic, post-secular, spirituality in contemporary art that draws connections across diasporic identity.
The exhibition runs from 5th August to 12th October 2022, at Twelve Gates Gallery, Philadelphia.
Here, Sadaf Padder talks some more about this exhibition.
1. Can you share what ALTER is about?
“ALTER is a play on words, referencing the concept of an “altar” as well as the verb “alter”. The exhibition offers critical commentary on material culture and physical space in ritual, religion and state. The conceptual, sculptural and installation-based exhibition unpacks patriarchy, heteronormativity and consumerism relating to devotional objects and structures. Drawing from under-recognized historical and ancient influences, the artistic inspiration spans Asia, Africa and the Americas and the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic religions. “
2. How did the idea for this exhibit come about?
"The exhibition is inspired by my own experiences growing up in a conservative Muslim community. There were very specific ways I, as a woman, was told to dress, talk and behave in our home and our mosque. I often felt like I was leading a double life. When people ask me now if I am Muslim, I respond that I was raised Muslim. The way I interpret my religion may look off-beat to another but it works for me. That is the root of the exhibit. The curatorial concept germinated from an editorial I wrote last year for ARTSY on Muslim artists using the prayer rug in their work.”
A Yakshi Chronicle II - SUCHITRA MATTAI
A Yakshi Chronicle II - SUCHITRA MATTAI
3. You have referred to the show as your ‘homecoming’. Can you elaborate on that and why this show is so personal to you?
I grew up just 20 minutes away from the gallery. This will be the first exhibition that many people from my mosque and community will see. The themes in the show may make some uncomfortable but I welcome that dialogue and am proud to be at a point of my life where I do not shy away from it.
Better yet, 12 Gates is South Asian owned that invites a lot of innovative, inclusive and exciting exhibitions. I wish I’d had a space like that when I was a teenager! I am so grateful to have met Aisha and Atif, the gallery directors, now
4. Tell us how you selected the artists for the show; have you worked with them all before?
I was really seeking a diverse range of experiences and histories. I have only worked with one artist before, Sanie. I have written about Samira and Suchitra.
Artworks and Artists:
Top Left: IV - Sandy Williams
Bottom Left: Au Revoir - Sanie Bohkari
Top Right: Nike - Samira Idroos
5. What do you want people to understand about this exhibition?
This is meant to be a thought-provoking exhibition. Each work is a conversation piece. Each of us has a deep respect for the forces that brought us here even if we may not agree with every aspect of the belief systems we were taught.
Follow Sadaf Padder on Instagram