Afrah SHAFIQ

Using the process of research as an artistic playground, Afrah will spend her time at the fellowship exploring the symbol of the moon in various folk, mythological and mystic traditions. What connection does the moon have to the idea of time and of transformation: ebb and flow, fertility, sexuality and synchronicity? The research will involve looking at this symbol across cultures and periods from Vietnamese festivals like Tet Trung Thu to Indian festivals like Karwa Chauth that centre around the moon; the moon in Japanese wood-block paintings, the figure of mah in Persian mythology - and poems, songs and stories that revolve around the moon in various folk, mythical and oral traditions from Russia to Latin America and other cultures all over the world. Apart from the motif of the moon, she is also interested in exploring through her research the idea of shape shifting. What can we understand about queerness; hybrid forms, transforming the self, merging with other life forms and mutation from mythical imaginations. This research will feed into a new artwork to be produced in 2020. 

Afrah Shafiq (b.1989, Bangalore, India) is a multi/new media artist and documentary filmmaker based between Goa and Bangalore. Her art practice moves across various platforms and mediums, seeking a way to retain the tactile within the digital and the poetry within technology.