[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fUj0XZhQAmQ9n215VfJs9YzulKPi0w339MoQ3u2NPA7o":3,"$f2SVWJ51ligf7eZar7IYJxdoQyd2X4GpzYeYfOFFHEsk":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},187705,"Shahzia Sikander","S",14,null,"shahzia-sikander",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":125},[14,27,38,49,59,70,81,92,103,114],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2547030,"Talking with other artists is an incredible process. You engage with the work very differently...a nd different relationships between different works start to emerge. To tap into that energy-to tap into that moment-is great for me as an exercise.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},5526252,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},1454,"exercise",{"id":28,"quote_text":29,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":9},2547023,"For me, drawing is a way of navigating the imagination, and it remains the fundamental vehicle of my practice. Drawing allows me to be at my most inventive.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33],{"id":34,"tag":35},5526242,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},5591,"practice",{"id":39,"quote_text":40,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":41,"source":42,"quote_tag":43,"commentary":9},2547015,"Art, for me, has always been a ticket for experience.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[44],{"id":45,"tag":46},5526234,{"id":47,"tag_name":48},138131,"tickets",{"id":50,"quote_text":51,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":52,"source":53,"quote_tag":54,"commentary":58},2547012,"I'm interested in taking a form, breaking it apart, and then rebuilding it. It is about transformation for me...it is a very core notion that stabilizes my practice.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[55],{"id":56,"tag":57},5526229,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},"**The Backstory**\nShahzia Sikander, a Pakistani-American artist known for her intricate miniature paintings, likely spoke these words in an interview about her creative process around the 2000s when she was already gaining recognition as a pioneer of contemporary miniature art. At that time, she was navigating the complexities of blending traditional Mughal techniques with modern themes and mediums. Her practice was evolving, reflecting on how cultural heritage intersects with personal identity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath this quote is the tension between preservation and innovation. On one hand, Sikander's desire to \"break apart\" and then rebuild forms suggests a willingness to disrupt traditional norms in pursuit of artistic expression. On the other hand, her emphasis on transformation as a core notion underscores an ongoing engagement with her cultural past. This paradox highlights the need for creatives not only to innovate but also to remain grounded in their roots.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset, modern professionals and creatives should adopt a \"deconstruction-reconstruction\" approach: recognize the value of what exists (be it tradition, skill, or understanding), dismantle its conventional forms, and then rebuild them anew, incorporating fresh perspectives and insights.",{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":9},2547005,"Initially I explored the tension between illustration and fine art when I first encountered miniature painting in my late teens. Championing the formal aspects of the Indo-Persian miniature-painting genre has often been at the core of my practice.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[65],{"id":66,"tag":67},5526224,{"id":68,"tag_name":69},41,"art",{"id":71,"quote_text":72,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":73,"source":74,"quote_tag":75,"commentary":9},2546999,"In the end, the gesture of painting becomes almost meditative, like a ritual.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[76],{"id":77,"tag":78},5526215,{"id":79,"tag_name":80},19117,"gestures",{"id":82,"quote_text":83,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":84,"source":85,"quote_tag":86,"commentary":9},2546984,"I think context, location matters a lot. Because location obviously in my situation, it's the space in which the work is going to be exhibited. And since some of the work I do is created onsite, it requires a different type of space, versus the smaller drawings or more subject-oriented work. So that the context becomes important.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[87],{"id":88,"tag":89},5526207,{"id":90,"tag_name":91},56,"thinking",{"id":93,"quote_text":94,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":95,"source":96,"quote_tag":97,"commentary":9},2546976,"I don't really listen to music when I work. I really have to focus on one thing at a time. I like a lot of quiet and peace when I'm working or when I'm thinking or when I'm reading.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[98],{"id":99,"tag":100},5526195,{"id":101,"tag_name":102},1107,"focus",{"id":104,"quote_text":105,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":106,"source":107,"quote_tag":108,"commentary":9},2546961,"I like driving. A lot. I think that's something I just enjoy the most. I can, at a moment's notice, drive across the country if, you know, I had to.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[109],{"id":110,"tag":111},5526187,{"id":112,"tag_name":113},25099,"across",{"id":115,"quote_text":116,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":117,"source":118,"quote_tag":119,"commentary":9},2546946,"Not to be boxed in, to be able to transcend boundaries: for an artist, it's essential.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[120],{"id":121,"tag":122},5526168,{"id":123,"tag_name":124},10447,"transcend",{"currentPage":126,"totalPages":127,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":128},1,2,10]