Description
Known for her often dark and unsettling paintings, it is the female who dominates Syed’s imagery. Drawing upon ancient Indian art and folk texts—where ‘woman’ is the active and authoritative protagonist—and her own biography for inspiration, Syed creates bold satirical narratives that are imbued with subtle sexual undertones. Through these narratives she addresses issues of identity, sexuality and patriarchal social structures. Her work challenges conventional notions of beauty and art historical representation of the female body as a visual metaphor for sensuality and eroticism. Syed’s thematic concern is to de-objectify and de-mystify the female body, portraying ‘woman’ as an individual with agency, sexual autonomy and self determination. Using paint and mix media, Syed uses both semi-translucent and opaque layering in her work to create a rich visual and perceptual experience.
