Sidra Khawaja in conversation with Sophia Stopper
November 7, 2024
SS: Hello Sidra, it is so wonderful to connect with you in this format to learn a bit more about you, your practice, and what you’re passionate about. We met because we both graduated with Masters Degrees for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. What a great place, I’ve met amazing people there.
Tell me about your journey. What led you to Chicago other than Graduate School? How was your time there? Where are you now? How did you get there?
SK: Thank you for connecting with me, and your interest in my practice. Graduate school was the precise reason I came to Chicago. It was an exhilarating experience, with a great deal of exposure and opportunities for self-realization, both on a professional and personal level. I come from a small city known as Muzaffarabad in the Kashmir region administered by Pakistan, which is a conflict-torn state between India and Pakistan. Upon securing a scholarship to pursue graduate studies in the US on a Fulbright program, I studied Master of Designed Objects at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This was the first time I was living in a foreign country for a significant period. I was able to situate my practice within the broader global discourse, focusing on the issues really close to my heart and exploring renewed areas of interest. I spent a great deal of time in the studio and workshop facilities, working with different materials and mediums. The time spent there helped shape-up my conceptual and material understanding of design, as I engaged in self-directed projects and conversations with fellows and faculty. The ongoing intellectual discourse as well as the opportunity and time to delve deeper into my interests opened up new directions for my practice, and in a way became career defining for me. Luckily, I developed some valuable relationships too as part of the process. I came back to my home country and resumed working in design academia after finishing the graduate program in the US. I also worked on some research projects during this time, and had a couple of exhibitions. Currently, I am in London as part of a three month Artist Residency program at Delfina Foundation.
SS: Right now you’re in a residency program (September 23, 2024-December 14, 2024) at Delfina Foundation in London, please give us a window into your experience. What have you been working on since your residency started? Where are you headed? How can we view your work related to the Residency?
SK: Delfina Foundation is an independent, non-profit art organization that facilitates artistic exchange and creative practices through residencies, partnerships and public programming. The nature of my residency at Delfina is research oriented, with an interest in critically exploring material culture as a means to understand the cultural identity of Kashmiri people - both indigenous and diaspora living in the UK. Focusing particularly on food cultures and craft practices, I aim to delve deeper into the intersectional relationship(s) between material culture and intangible ideas such as identity, memory, home, displacement, resilience and resistance within the complex geopolitical and ecological context of Kashmir. Delfina has provided me with a strong base in the heart of London, with an exposure to the London art scene and cultural institutions including world-class museums and gallery spaces. Four weeks into the residency, I am speaking with some members from the diaspora, catching up on the ongoing shows and exhibits in and around London, meeting lots of people from the art world, exchanging dialogues with fellow resident practitioners and visiting museums. The recently held Frieze Week in London gave me a good headstart as I got introduced to diverse art practices during the art fair. Regular ‘Family lunches’ at Delfina also present themselves as a great networking opportunity with a guest list including curators, artists, collectors, gallerists etc. Currently as part of my ongoing investigation, I am reading ‘Politics of Food’- a publication by Delfina Foundation that culminates the research and ideas developed as part of the thematic residency program focusing primarily on food, art, identity & politics. My research plans during the upcoming weeks involve archival and material culture research in institutions such as Victoria & Albert museum & National library. I have also lined up interviews within the Kashmiri diaspora to gain insight into their lived experiences. I plan on showcasing my research gatherings and developing ideas for future projects as part of the Open Studio scheduled during the first week of December at Delfina Foundation. This public event will mark the culmination of my residency period. I will be sure to keep you posted as things progress and share with you some documentation from the event.
SS: The Lahore Biennale 03 Of Mountains and Seas curated by John Tain is happening in Pakistan this year! How exciting! You are in a collateral Show at 11 Temple Road from October 3 to November 7 called Tomorrow Isn’t Promised. Take us into your headspace for your work in this show. What caused you to make these works? Why does this exhibition make a meaningful home for your work?
SK: I am exhibiting two works as part of the show ‘Tomorrow Isn’t Promised’, a collateral event to Lahore Biennale 03 ‘Of Mountains and Seas’. These works are an extension of the ideas I conceived and produced during the course of my Graduate program at SAIC. My interest in reinterpreting material culture in order to weave narratives, on a personal and collective level, led me to explore traditional Kashmiri crafts. One such artifact was the historic Map shawl of Kashmir from the late 19th Century, crafted over a span of 30 years by Kashmiri artisans showcasing the region’s rich environment and inclusive cultural heritage. I recreated my version of Map shawl that represents the present-day forced cartographic division of the state, heavy militarization, the resultant power war and sociopolitical turmoil. This piece depicting vernacular motifs juxtaposed with military symbols has been handcrafted in the traditional Sozni embroidery, in collaboration with a Kashmiri craftsperson whose personal history and involvement with the region’s freedom movement takes up the center stage within the broader sociopolitical context of Kashmir, in the form of a short documentary film ‘Longing for Paradise’ supplementing the crafted piece. My other work titled ‘Khatamband - The Game’ takes inspiration from the traditional Kashmiri craft of geometric wooden ceiling finishes providing insulation and shelter in Kashmiri homes against the severe cold of the region. I attempted to deconstruct the seamless pattern found in Khatamband down to individual geometric elements and re-imagined them as Vessels. These porcelain pieces are created through a molding-casting process, which has a deeper meaning of control and affect attached to it. The work acts as a metaphor representing the current political policy of controlling the narrative around Kashmir conflict to fit different political interests at the expense of Kashmiri identity, safety and stability. Tomorrow Isn’t Promised presents itself as the perfect space and context to showcase these works since the exhibition aims to take a multifaceted view of environmental histories through art, design and research based practices. Not only does it continue a discourse on the environment and its elements of air, water and land, but also offers insights into personal journeys and trajectories with lessons of resilience, reflection and course correction. With this curatorial premise, the exhibition set in a 20th century colonial home witnessing the 1947 partition of the sub-continent India sets a nuanced and historic backdrop for these works, culminating into a critical and comprehensive understanding of the ecological, social, political & economic aspects of environmental exploitation.
Map Shawl of Kashmir (2022), Silk embroidery on silk tapestry
Short Documentary - Longing for Paradise (2022)
Khatamband - The Game (2022), Porcelain
SS: I’m curious about your community work with Kashmir Creatives Collective which is “A Kashmiri driven, independent group of creatives focusing on humanizing Kashmir through the lens of artistic and cultural traditions of the state”, as you state at the beginning of your manifesto. Please tell us about this group and your recent manifesto. How did this collection of ideas come about and what are your deepest beliefs?
SK: The seed for the collective was sown back in 2022 when on a random day, I received a message from a fellow Kashmiri filmmaker Zafeer Butt. He went to the same art school where I studied for my undergraduate, and we had even traveled together to India as part of a Pakistani cultural delegation. But it was years later when he came across my Kashmir related graduate project on instagram and we started talking about this subject. Soon after, we met in Lahore to share our mutual love, passion, aspirations and longing for Kashmir over a cup of coffee. As creatives identifying as Kashmiris, we both strongly felt the absence of Kashmiri representation on a significant level in wider socio-political and cultural spheres, let alone in the art world. Our meetings led us to collaborate on the short documentary project ‘Longing for Paradise’ that was shot in Kashmir during the same year, followed by another documentary(currently in post-production phase) on the indigenous nomadic Bakarwal community of Kashmir that focuses on the material culture as well as challenges faced by the community in sustaining their centuries old lifestyle. As we worked together on these projects, we also delved into discussions and ideas related to connecting with fellow Kashmiri creatives for visibility, wider representation, support and a strong network. These cumulative thoughts and efforts led us to finally launch ‘Kashmir Creatives Collective’ in July 2024. We imagine this platform as a means of coming together as a community: hopefully creating a safe space where everyone can share and celebrate the dreams, hopes, unique perspectives and distinct cultural identity of the region. Coming out of a geopolitically charged,overlooked and often narrowly represented region in South Asia, we believe the real strength of this grassroots initiative lies in preserving and reinforcing the artistic and cultural traditions of the state of Kashmir in the face of growing indifference, invisibility and misrepresentation of the region and all its diverse people. We also hope to be able to generate narratives and promote discourses about Kashmir by the Kashmiri people themselves.
SS: How does the quote “Building community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the individual,” said by Grace Lee Boggs relate to how you engage with and build community with your collective called Kashmir Creative Collective? Tell us about this collective. Who is your audience? What is your purpose beyond bringing creatives together?
SK: The purpose of gathering fellow community members on a platform such as Kashmir Creatives Collective is straightforward: We seek to strengthen the bonds between individuals, create shared values and foster collective empowerment through creative means and practices. We feel that art and culture can be instrumental for a community to nurture, ground and heal on a collective level. Especially within the context of the conflict, it becomes even more urgent to help facilitate effective modes of communication, visibility, expression and connection. Building this community is a work in progress, and honestly not an easy one! It demands a great deal of dedication, effort and time. If not for passion, I don’t think such an initiative can be sustained. Within our individual capacity, we regularly reach out to as many people as possible while striving to create a social support system and expand as a collective. Our primary audience comprises diverse indigenous communities living in Kashmir, as well as the diaspora - anyone who considers Kashmir a homeland. As the starting point, we are currently working on creating a repository of artistic and cultural practices coming out of the region with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, having both formal and informal training as they engage with Kashmir through their work. Another important thing for us is to be able to self-reflect and deconstruct our understanding of Kashmir on an individual and collective level. As stated in our manifesto, we don’t endorse any particular viewpoint as a collective; we rather believe in nurturing a neutral space - irrespective of our individual beliefs - one that accommodates all kinds of perspectives and practices engaging with Kashmir in a critical way. As Kashmiris, it is imperative that we speak more and more about Kashmir, while also developing the empathy to really listen and respond to each other with kindness even when we might not agree. Our regular internal meetings and instagram artist conversations have become a means for us to investigate various aspects of Kashmir and the Kashmiri people. Taking one small step at a time but being consistent with the efforts, we hope to be able to connect with the wider communities beyond borders, cultures and nationalities who can relate to our journey, struggles and aspirations.
SS: What’s next? What dreams and goals do you have for yourself and the larger community? How do you hope you can make an impact?
SK: With my current interests, I aim for future opportunities to conduct rigorous research at the intersection of culture, craft, food, design and anthropology. I am looking into both academia as well as artist residencies to further this investigation. In 2025, I will be gearing up for a residency with Malt AIR in Denmark exploring the Danish cultural scene with a South Asian lens. Through my art and teaching practice, as well as the work with Kashmir Creatives Collective, I hope to be able to creatively contribute to the existing body of knowledge, enable significant connections within and outside my community, and initiate constructive discourses that can lead to a positive sociocultural and political impact. I do believe in dreaming big and putting in hard work to try and realize those dreams! Also, I believe wherever I go and whatever I do, Kashmir will always remain at the core of my dreams.
SK: The seed for the collective was sown back in 2022 when on a random day, I received a message from a fellow Kashmiri filmmaker Zafeer Butt. He went to the same art school where I studied for my undergraduate, and we had even traveled together to India as part of a Pakistani cultural delegation. But it was years later when he came across my Kashmir related graduate project on instagram and we started talking about this subject. Soon after, we met in Lahore to share our mutual love, passion, aspirations and longing for Kashmir over a cup of coffee. As creatives identifying as Kashmiris, we both strongly felt the absence of Kashmiri representation on a significant level in wider socio-political and cultural spheres, let alone in the art world. Our meetings led us to collaborate on the short documentary project ‘Longing for Paradise’ that was shot in Kashmir during the same year, followed by another documentary(currently in post-production phase) on the indigenous nomadic Bakarwal community of Kashmir that focuses on the material culture as well as challenges faced by the community in sustaining their centuries old lifestyle. As we worked together on these projects, we also delved into discussions and ideas related to connecting with fellow Kashmiri creatives for visibility, wider representation, support and a strong network. These cumulative thoughts and efforts led us to finally launch ‘Kashmir Creatives Collective’ in July 2024. We imagine this platform as a means of coming together as a community: hopefully creating a safe space where everyone can share and celebrate the dreams, hopes, unique perspectives and distinct cultural identity of the region. Coming out of a geopolitically charged,overlooked and often narrowly represented region in South Asia, we believe the real strength of this grassroots initiative lies in preserving and reinforcing the artistic and cultural traditions of the state of Kashmir in the face of growing indifference, invisibility and misrepresentation of the region and all its diverse people. We also hope to be able to generate narratives and promote discourses about Kashmir by the Kashmiri people themselves.
SS: How does the quote “Building community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the individual,” said by Grace Lee Boggs relate to how you engage with and build community with your collective called Kashmir Creative Collective? Tell us about this collective. Who is your audience? What is your purpose beyond bringing creatives together?
SK: The purpose of gathering fellow community members on a platform such as Kashmir Creatives Collective is straightforward: We seek to strengthen the bonds between individuals, create shared values and foster collective empowerment through creative means and practices. We feel that art and culture can be instrumental for a community to nurture, ground and heal on a collective level. Especially within the context of the conflict, it becomes even more urgent to help facilitate effective modes of communication, visibility, expression and connection. Building this community is a work in progress, and honestly not an easy one! It demands a great deal of dedication, effort and time. If not for passion, I don’t think such an initiative can be sustained. Within our individual capacity, we regularly reach out to as many people as possible while striving to create a social support system and expand as a collective. Our primary audience comprises diverse indigenous communities living in Kashmir, as well as the diaspora - anyone who considers Kashmir a homeland. As the starting point, we are currently working on creating a repository of artistic and cultural practices coming out of the region with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, having both formal and informal training as they engage with Kashmir through their work. Another important thing for us is to be able to self-reflect and deconstruct our understanding of Kashmir on an individual and collective level. As stated in our manifesto, we don’t endorse any particular viewpoint as a collective; we rather believe in nurturing a neutral space - irrespective of our individual beliefs - one that accommodates all kinds of perspectives and practices engaging with Kashmir in a critical way. As Kashmiris, it is imperative that we speak more and more about Kashmir, while also developing the empathy to really listen and respond to each other with kindness even when we might not agree. Our regular internal meetings and instagram artist conversations have become a means for us to investigate various aspects of Kashmir and the Kashmiri people. Taking one small step at a time but being consistent with the efforts, we hope to be able to connect with the wider communities beyond borders, cultures and nationalities who can relate to our journey, struggles and aspirations.
SS: What’s next? What dreams and goals do you have for yourself and the larger community? How do you hope you can make an impact?
SK: With my current interests, I aim for future opportunities to conduct rigorous research at the intersection of culture, craft, food, design and anthropology. I am looking into both academia as well as artist residencies to further this investigation. In 2025, I will be gearing up for a residency with Malt AIR in Denmark exploring the Danish cultural scene with a South Asian lens. Through my art and teaching practice, as well as the work with Kashmir Creatives Collective, I hope to be able to creatively contribute to the existing body of knowledge, enable significant connections within and outside my community, and initiate constructive discourses that can lead to a positive sociocultural and political impact. I do believe in dreaming big and putting in hard work to try and realize those dreams! Also, I believe wherever I go and whatever I do, Kashmir will always remain at the core of my dreams.
Sidra Khawaja is an interdisciplinary creative practitioner, educator and musician. She is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship. With a background in Designed Objects & Visual Communication, her practice traverses the realms of design, art and contemporary craft. Taking inspiration from cultural artifacts and rituals, she is interested in crafting compelling narratives often with a performative element, seeking to create interactive, sensory public experiences through objects, installations, multimedia etc. Her practice also serves to record silent Kashmiri narratives and issues surrounding identity and representation, while divulging the overlooked costs of postcolonial nationalism in South Asia. She was selected for WantedDesign’s ‘Emerging Designer Showcase’ at New York Design Week(2021). She was also shortlisted for Global Design Graduate show (2021) in collaboration with Gucci, out of 5200 graduates. She currently serves as a visiting faculty at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.
Sophia Stopper is a visual artist, poet, and curator. They received their MFA in Performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their BFA in Studio Art from New York University. Sophia has held positions as Curator at the Bridgeport Art Center (Chicago, US) and Exhibitions Coordinator at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (Reading, US). Traveling by bookstore, Sophia has lived on four continents and cherishes flying in a hot air balloon above a field of poppies in the Turkish countryside as one of their fondest memories.