L’ART S’AFFICHE
Shaheer Zazai
Shaheer Zazai is currently on display for L’art s’affiche on the facades of the Ubisoft’s Mile-End studios
Art Souterrain is proud to present the 13th edition of L’art s’affiche, in collaboration with Ubisoft Montreal.
For three months, Ubisoft will host a solo exhibition of the works of artist Shaheer Zazai in the Mile-End, on the exterior facade of her studio at the corner of Saint-Viateur and Saint-Dominique streets.
Shaheer Zazai
Biography
Shaheer Zazai is an Afghan-Canadian artist with a current studio practice in both painting and digital media. Zazai received a BFA from OCAD University in 2011 and was an artist in residence at OCAD University as part of the Digital Painting Atelier in 2015.
Zazai is a recipient of Ontario Arts Council grants, and he was a finalist for EQ Bank’s Emerging Digital Artist Award in 2018. Since graduating, Zazai has had several solo and group exhibitions, such as those at the Capacity 3 Gallery, CAFKA Biennial 2019, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Double Happiness Projects, and Patel Brown Gallery. His digital works have been covered by CBC Arts in 2018, Ajam Media Collective in 2019 and Globe, and Mail in 2020.
Artistic Statement
Zazai’s practice focuses on exploring and attempting to investigate the development of cultural identity in the present geopolitical climate and diaspora. The digital works revolve around Microsoft Word and imagery reminiscent of traditional Afghan carpets.
Through mimicking carpet-making methods, Zazai creates his own designs in Microsoft Word, where every knot of a carpet is translated into a typed character. While the digital is a process-based exploration, the paintings have been an internal investigation into vulnerability and fear.
Over the years, Zazai’s material vocabulary has expanded into textile work, site-specific public art installations and video works with his lens becoming self-reflective.
