The Slow Cancellation of Practice

By Maryam Zahra Kazimi

Maryam’s practice is experimental and unpredictable. It exists at the intersection of research-creation, socially engaged art, curation, intervention and the expanded field of drawing. Ideas begin as doodles, drawings and notes and evolve through collaborative and collective activity, conversations and large-scale installations.

The Slow Cancellation of Practice explored the conceptual anxiety and stasis inherently found within art practice – the periods in between productive spells, time spent casually in the studio, on the road, conceptualising new ideas or deep in research. Eclecticism is embraced; the archival impulse is quietly celebrated. The outcome was a site-specific installation that served as a snapshot of Maryam’s art practice at a very fleeting moment in time, defiantly proclaiming a resistance to conventional modes of classification and the curation of a singular narrative.

The installation explored the artist’s perpetual struggle between the authentic expression of self, and the pressure to make more conceptually-palettable, commercially-viable forms of art for public consumption. Paintings, drawings, objects and text were loosely drawn together to map a particular set of narratives, but what were they? The work itself was left open-ended, unresolved and open to interpretation. Evading conclusion, it begged the question of purpose and direction. Much like a self-aware AI system, it asked itself, “what am I doing here and where am I headed?”

Comprising an eclectic range of materials and mundane objects, including drawings, writing excerpts, repurposed office supplies and scrawled text on wood, the work speaks directly to the chaotic and discursive nature of artistic practice. Viewers were invited to travel along with this sprawling train of thought in all directions, and perhaps offer a narrative of their own to logically reconcile this anxious set of questions.

The Slow Cancellation of Practice was on display at the Hidden Wardrobe from Friday 2nd September to Friday 7th October 2022.