
Shahzia Sikander
Here Fido, Here Boy, 2009
Ink, gouache and graphite on prepared paper
38.1 x 28.6 cm (unframed)
45 x 35.5 x 4 cm (framed)
45 x 35.5 x 4 cm (framed)
'Here Fido, Here Boy' (2009) comes from a series of work Sikander developed for her first solo exhibition at Pilar Corrias Gallery, titled ‘I am also not my own enemy’,...
'Here Fido, Here Boy' (2009) comes from a series of work Sikander developed for her first solo exhibition at Pilar Corrias Gallery, titled ‘I am also not my own enemy’, 2009. Her meticulously detailed ink and graphite works challenge the viewer with their potential for multiple interpretations. 19th century layouts of real and imagined gardens adorned with iconic imagery and symbols of state were created as possible future projects. Islamic geometric motifs drawn from art and architecture evolve into telescoping pentagons which are consumed and devoured by their own camouflage. In 'Here Fido, Here Boy’ Sikander depicts US Military Robot Dogs, emerging from a delicate gouache “camouflage” environment. The US Military have used these autonomous robots as part of their counterinsurgency campaigns in Pakistan. Sikander employs in this painting a red line to signal boundaries/borders, much in the same way her depiction of the red fence demarcates a border in her manuscript works.