The Newark Museum of Art is presenting Risham Syed's exhibition Destiny Fractured a body of work responding to the Newark Museum of Art's permanent collection, which aims to address colonialism, capitalism and climate change.
Syed's exhibit is on view until March 7, 2027.
Some of the inspirational artworks from the Newark museum's collection include American landscapes, Chinese scroll paintings and the period rooms in The Ballantine House.
Syed has created new artworks for the exhibition alongside her previous installations and the museum's collection objects in the global contemporary galleries, as well as in the landscape gallery in “Seeing America.” She has produced art in a variety of mediums, including videos, embroidered silk panels, installations with paintings and objects and printed textiles.
Syed, a Pakistan-born and based artist, sheds light on current events by turning to history.
She exposes hidden relationships of colonialism, capitalism and climate change by juxtaposing historical American and contemporary Pakistani scenes and stories. Taking colonialism as her starting point, she creates an immersive space to transport the viewers back to the 19th century.
The artist splinters seemingly pleasant environments to offer an alternate lens for viewing the past and the present, according to the Newark Museum of Art.
Syed is a Lahore-based artist who uses painting, as well as other mediums to explore questions of history, sociology and politics. She is the sixth artist, and first international artist, to participate in the Newark Museum of Art Global Contemporary series.
