Portrait of the Artist

Object Details

Artist

Shahzia Sikander, born 1969

Sitter

Ayad Akhtar, born 1970

Exhibition Label

born 1970 Born New York City

Ayad Akhtar won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013 for his play Disgraced, an exploration of the tensions of Muslim American assimilation, identity, and political correctness in post-9/11 America. Akhtar, a Pakistani American, began his career in theater as an actor. His 2012 coming-of-age novel American Dervish was the first in what Akhtar conceived as a multi-work, multi-media exploration of Muslim American culture and subtle personal relationships among complex characters. Shahzia Sikander, known for her mastery of drawing and sophisticated layering of materials, approaches image-making as a challenge to the status quo, creatively, socially, and politically. This etched portrait of Akhtar references the historical Miraj paintings of the visionary night journey of Prophet Muhammad. The white silhouette of a horse-riding figure is a metaphor for the journey for artistic truth and a nod to the artist’s training in the Indo-Persian miniature tradition.

Shahzia Sikander (born 1969) Etchings, 2016

Nacido en la Ciudad de Nueva York

Ayad Akhtar ganó el premio Pulitzer de drama en 2013 por su obra Disgraced, una indagación en las tensiones de la asimilación, la identidad y la “corrección política” entre los musulmanes americanos después del ataque del 9/11. Estadounidense de ascendencia pakistaní, Akhtar comenzó su carrera teatral como actor. Su novela iniciática American Dervish, publicada en 2012, fue la primera parte de lo que concibe como una exploración multiobra y multimedia de la cultura musulmana-americana y de sutiles relaciones entre personajes complejos. Shahzia Sikander, conocida por su dominio del dibujo y refinada superposición de materiales, aborda la creación de imágenes como un reto al statu quo desde una perspectiva creativa, socialy política. Estos retratos de Akhtar remiten a las pinturas históricas del “miraj”, el visionario viaje nocturno del profeta Mahoma. La silueta blanca de un jinete es una metáfora del viaje hacia la verdad artística y alude a la tradición miniaturista indo-persa cultivada por la artista.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

2016

Object number

C/NPG.2017.95

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Shahzia Sikander

Type

Print

Medium

Etching

Dimensions

Frame: 73.7 × 58.4 cm (29 × 23")

Image: 55.9 × 43.2 cm (22 × 17")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location

Currently not on view

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Symbols & Motifs

Imaginary

Artwork\Silhouette

Ayad Akhtar: Male

Ayad Akhtar: Arts & Culture\Literature\Writer

Ayad Akhtar: Arts & Culture\Performing Arts\Performer\Actor

Portrait

Record ID

npg_C_NPG.2017.95

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4fa8fb281-161f-45c3-b7cf-ce889a8b9055