Twelve Gates Art Gallery WORK IN PROGRESS

WORK IN PROGRESS

It all started with an article that I read in NY Times: the chronicle of an art exhibition in Manhattan, featuring 15 artists originar from Muslim countries. One of the artists was Asma Shikoh, a Pakistani living now in New York. The article payed special attention to Asma Shikoh, and her quest for the thin line between keeping Muslim identity and living Western values.

I was impressed by the answers she found, reflected in her work and I wrote about Asma Shikoh on the blog.

Soon I had a comment on the post about her: an art gallery in Philadephia had some of the works of Asma Shikoh on view till the end of June.

It was for me a strong reason to go to Philly, I did not want to miss the oportunity to see her art works.

I used to go to Philadelphia very often, but this was a very long time ago. I was again alst year only for a couple of hours. It was a Friday evening and nI had been invited to an auction organized by the students of the Law Scdhool of the University of Pennsylvania. I arrived at nine o'clock in the evening, I left at eleven. Well, I retrieved that special air of Philly, that weird attraction, impossible to describe, hidden in the walls and on sidewalks; and I realized how much I was missing the city, how imperious it was for me to come again.

I took the train in the morning and arrived at the 30th Street Station some time after eleven. I took from there a local train that left me at the East Market Station. The Gallery was some place near the 3rd Street, so I decided to walk there. A heavy rain started immediately. I had a very small umbrella, sandals and shorts.

Asma Shikoh












Kauser Iqbal






Asif Ahmed







Jayant Naskar






(Philadelphia)