Artist’s statement

From generational oppression to personal migration, this exhibition depicts the irreversible and deeply ingrained detriments of British Colonialism in the Indian Subcontinent. The true melancholy of colonisation resides not in the physical oppression, but in the gradual unfamiliarity of one’s own culture. The notion that your culture is no longer recognisable, no longer yours is a haunting prospect. My works incorporate cultural objects and patterns – where their interactions imitate the interactions between the West and East. For I, myself, am a product of this relationship. The artists Shahzia Sikander and Julie Gough have been persistent and enduring influences on my work for this exhibition, as each artist utilises the dichotomy between the traditional and the contemporary to question the hypocrisy of power hierarchies such as the patriarchy and Colonial Australia.

The exhibition is divided into two distinct sections: the first being an attempt to explore the complex relationship between the coloniser and the colonised, and the second, to illuminate the often-obscured fluidity of culture. The divide and potential for co-existence is symbolically portrayed in the distinct patterns and colours – with all mediums and objects having specific connotations with respect to their “Eastern” or “Western” contexts. The red patterns and beading represent the blood of the Subcontinent, which runs through my veins, and the blue patterns and beading are that of the British and Australian Flag. Within each piece, the spatial arrangement of the colours and patterns depicts a possible relationship between the East and West. In some, the blue is domineering, and the red submissive. In others, they co-exist in equilibrium. The navy-blue ink used in the fabric printing overshadows the red, reminding the audience that whilst independence was gained, the detriments of colonisation still linger and corrupt – a relentless and persistent reality. 

Alia Haider is 17 years old and has lived in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania since moving to Australia from Pakistan at the age of six. She is an avid fan of music, literature, badminton and the rain. In life after school, Alia plans on studying in fields related to medicine and psychology. 

The Art2Words Writing Prize is an annual writing competition at The Friends’ School.