This painting was created after my mother returned to Pakistan. Although she was no longer physically present, I still wanted to hold onto every moment I had spent with her. This work became a way of processing absence, distance, and connection.
The painting is created on a 30-inch wooden panel. I began with my favorite architectural pattern from the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra Palace in Spain. I am drawn to circular forms, as the circle symbolizes wholeness, unity, and perfection. Within this structure, I incorporated ajrak patterns in deep maroon. Ajrak is a traditional textile from Sindh, Pakistan, and including it allowed me to bring my cultural heritage into the work as I reflected on my mother.
The palette of blues and browns references earth and water, and reminds me of the beaches of Karachi, grounding the composition in memory, geography, and longing.
On the left side of the painting sits a hoopoe bird, perched gracefully on the branch of a mango tree. The hoopoe is a symbol of wisdom in The Conference of the Birds by the Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar. In the poem, the hoopoe leads thirty birds on a spiritual journey of self-discovery, encouraging them to let go of worldly attachments in order to ascend toward truth. In this painting, the hoopoe represents my mother, as a guide, a source of wisdom, and a spiritual presence.
The mango tree carries layered meaning. It recalls my childhood memories of summers in Pakistan, and also symbolizes the fruit of heaven. Inspired by the saying that heaven lies beneath the feet of one’s mother, I imagine this branch as extending from heaven itself.
The flowing ribbons across the composition represent our bond. They are fractured yet continuous, broken yet still connected. They suggest physical distance, but emotional closeness, a relationship that persists beyond geography.
This painting becomes a meditation on separation without loss, distance without disconnection, and the quiet belief that love continues to travel, even when bodies cannot.