Hafsa Murtaza, Bagh-i-Ashiyana, 2023
Acrylic on Japanese Chiyogami paper
18 in x 12 in
Islamic gardens are oversimplified as Paradise gardens of sensual contemplation disconnected from the outside world. However, Islamic Gardens are multifunctional spaces for social, cultural and economic interactions. To illustrate how Islamic Gardens function in society, I have redesigned UTM’s CCT Courtyard through a manuscript painting. The garden is named Bagh-i-Ashiyana, the Garden of Home and Togetherness. It portrays a mixture of cultures, from Mughal Chhatris and Bangla pavilions to Iranian Chahr Bagh four-part organization to Turkish drinking fountains to Central-Asian pagodas to Indigenous Three Sisters planting to recreate the home of multicultural students on campus. The manuscript painting demonstrates how the garden functions both in Spring and Winter. Thus, Bagh-i-Ashiyana will provide a communal space for students year-round and celebrate different architectural, garden and cultural traditions that shape student identities.
Exhibited in UofT's Shelley Peterson Student Art Exhibition 2024: https://artmuseum.utoronto.ca/virtual-spotlight/2024-shelley-peterson-student-art-exhibition/
Bagh-i-Ashiyana (Detail), 2023
Acrylic on Japanese Chiyogami paper
18 in x 12 in