“Shimmering Mirage” (2019)
Anila Quayyum Agha draws on traditions of beauty and embellishment from her native Pakistan to create immersive experiences that allow viewers to explore and challenge their own perceptions. The professor and practicing artist, who is now based in Indianapolis, Indiana, works with industrial grade materials like laser-cut, powder coated steel to construct her patterned environments. Though her installations are aesthetically alluring, she intentionally uses abstraction to inspire deeper thought in gallery-goers. “Artists have the ability to bring historical perspectives to the current time, Agha explains. “I’m interested in that thought process, of taking responsibility and seeing how we can move to the future and make a better environment for people.”
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Because Agha’s work is primarily experiential, documenting and sharing her work in a way that brings digital viewers into each moment is critically important. Balancing the demanding, complex role of teacher and mentor alongside her flourishing career in the fine art world, Agha puts Squarespace to work for her. By building her portfolio on Squarespace, Agha creates an online gallery with professional photos that support the context and immediacy of her installations:
When I initially started, I tried to build my own website. It was too complicated for me to make the website and keep it updated. It became too onerous as I was making work that was more labor-intensive. With Squarespace it is so easy to just add your photos in and change the colors. It was easy and seamless. A web presence is a professional requirement, and Squarespace has made my life so much easier.
“I think of my practice as a continuum,” Agha explains. “It’s like a bird, you dip in and fly out or fly forward. I go back in time to revisit old thoughts or ideas that continue in a way that they become new.” A strong portfolio site helps Agha organize her prolific career chronologically, sharing impressive archives of more than 15 years of artwork, along with press clips, downloadable CV and artist statement, social links, and an embedded newsletter signup.
With Squarespace’s wide range of templates and customizable features, everyone can build their own digital worlds that reflect the look and feel of their personal brand, while providing easy-to-use tools and 24/7 support so you can get off your computer and back out in the world. Visit Squarespace.com for a free one-week trial and use code Colossal to save 10% off a website or domain name.
“Shimmering Mirage” (2019)
“This is NOT a Refuge! 2” (2019)
“Itinerant Shadows” Bola, Spiral, Caged Flowers, Arches (2019)
“The Greys in Between” (2018): “Walking With My Yesterdays” (Octahedron) + Flowers Once Yours: (Tetrahedron)
Photo: Doug Eng
“All the Flowers are for Me – Turquoise” (2017)
This article was sponsored by Squarespace.
Source: thisiscolossal.com