Talha Shams

Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY

Artist statement

My work emerges from the tension between concealment and revelation. Growing up in a conservative Muslim family in Pakistan, I learned at a very early age to hide my feelings, emotions, and desires. Censorship imposed from the outside world became internalized without me realizing it. Within this space of restraint, a willingness to breathe, to peek out, to momentarily exist as myself became urgent. I work across painting, printmaking, sculpture, and installation, using etching ink as my primary medium. The recurring motif in my work is a streak that expresses resistance and fluidity simultaneously. Repetition turns this gesture into a ritual that shapes my visual language. Each gesture resists control while embracing uncertainty. No two pulls are ever the same, allowing space for imperfection, beauty, and unpredictability. Experiments, accidents, and curiosity make my studio a place where freedom is possible, even as the world outside continues to demand conformity. My recent work critiques the institution of marriage in South Asia and its patriarchal, heteronormative structures that exclude queer people. Drawing from the visual language of South Asian wedding tents, I deconstruct and reconstruct these temporary architectures as spaces that feel both inviting and inaccessible. Weddings are celebrated as life's happiest milestone, yet many queer people in Pakistan are denied the possibility of experiencing them on their own terms. Through fragmented forms, recurring...

Artwork