Shahzia Sikander Awarded Japan's Fukuoka Arts and Culture Prize 2022 

Shahzia Sikander, the Pakistani artist living in New York, was awarded the Fukuoka Arts and Culture Prize 2022. Every year, selected nominees are awarded the prize to honor their individual, group, or organizational activities in the field of art and culture. The award was established by Fukuoka City (Fukuoka prize's committee secretariat) and is focused on increasing awareness of the Asian culture and supporting it.  

Shahzia Sikander is a pioneering artist who has passed the traditions of classical miniature paintings of central and southern Asia and is following her personal style in her career. Her works are associated with a new form of painting called "Neo-miniature". By gathering traditional and historical works next to international and contemporary artworks, the artist is looking to review the orientalist narratives in Western art history.

With her paintings, mosaics, video arts, and sculptures, Sikander tries to investigate gender, cultural identity, racial narratives and colonial and post-colonial histories. She has graduated with B.F.A degree from the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan. In her thesis titled "Scroll," she expressed her initial ideas about the Neo-miniature art movement, which were then widely echoed by publications and exhibitions. She moved to the U.S. to continue studying fine arts and has carried out her artistic activity in New York ever since.  

From the viewpoint of the Fukuoka Prize founders, the award is important because it connects cultures of different Asian countries. Besides their distinctive ancient art and culture backgrounds, Asian countries have mutual properties. So far, 118 individuals who are actively preserving and promoting this rich culture have been awarded the Fukuoka Prize. In 2022, the 32nd edition of this annual award was held to honor Shahzia Sikander's artistic activities.  

Cover and Slider Photo:

• Portrait by Daniel Gurton | Courtesy of Shahzia Sikander and Pilar Corrias