Abdullah Syed in Australia

 

Fairfield gallery hosts exhibition from Pakistani-born artist

Source: Daily Telegraph
Winsome Walker, Fairfield Advance

August 3, 2016 12:42pm

Pakistani-born artist Abdullah M.I. Syed’s first solo art exhibition in Sydney is a very personal one. Substitute: The Untold Narrative of a Mother and Son, explores the relationships between his mother and her four migrant children.

Abdullah M.I. Syed and his work The Portrait of Azra. Picture: Mim Stirling 

The creative process included a trip to Pakistan, where Syed sourced objects and clues from his past.
He also developed a community outreach program in Sydney — which expanded to wider Australia, Pakistan and the US — that invited men to share their memories of their mothers.

Syed said his family’s response to the exhibition had been“overwhelmingly encouraging”.
“My mother is delighted to see the catalogue and images and responded that finally part of her story has been told,” he said.

The artist said he was excited to see his exhibition travel to the Canvas Gallery in Karachi, Pakistan next year.

“That is when my parents will view the works—I cannot wait.”

The exhibition closes at the Fairfield City Museum and Gallery on August 6