The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) have announced a joint presentation of the highly acclaimed exhibition “Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior.” The exhibition will open concurrently in Ohio on February 14, 2025. This comprehensive showcase will feature nearly 100 artworks spanning 35 years of Sikander’s career, encompassing a wide range of mediums.
The exhibitions will explore Sikander’s distinctive approach to reimagining historical South Asian art and techniques through a contemporary lens. The CAM presentation will delve into the artist’s recurring themes and ideas, highlighting her identity as an American, Pakistani, Muslim, feminist, and global artist engaging with disrupted historical narratives. The CMA’s portion will focus on how Sikander’s art relates to historical South Asian works within the museum’s collection, connecting contemporary practice with global art history.
Artist Shahzia Sikander stated that “Collective Behavior” explores themes of kinship between experience, consciousness, race, and culture, emphasizing women’s narratives, power dynamics, and the legacies of colonialism. Both museums have curated presentations that highlight Sikander’s significant contributions to art, including her pioneering role in the “neo-miniature” form and her expansion into various artistic mediums.
Source: https://www.clevelandart.org/about/press/highly-acclaimed-exhibition-shahzia-sikander-collective-behavior-open-cleveland-museum