HÀ NỘI — Popular female Pakistani artist Masooma Syed is displaying her 3D, 2D and short videos at the University of Industrial Fine Art in Hà Nội.

At the event, titled Maya, the 3D and 2D works made of various materials such as human hair, human nails, artificial nails, sewing needles, rice paper, cardboard, metals, glass, and fresh water pearls were made by Syed since 2013.

An art work at the event. Photo Courtesy of the Embassy

The event celebrates the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s Independence and 50 years of friendship between Pakistan and Việt Nam.

“It is rightly said that art has no boundaries,” said Pakistani ambassador to Việt Nam & Laos Samina Mehtab at the opening ceremony on June 28. “Collaboration in arts and culture is the soul of any bilateral relationship and no bilateral relationship can thrive unless the people of the two countries appreciate each other’s art. Therefore, we have organized this exhibition today. We hope that through this exhibition, people from Pakistan and Việt Nam can connect at a deeper level.”

Syed said she chose used objects or parts of used objects for her new art works.

“These art works look like wearable jewellery, like human nails can be turned into a small necklace,” she said. “I have created a crown from my mother’s hair.”

“To me, working with by hands is a way to absorb the feelings on loss, love, injury, beauty and rejection when mentioning values inside invaluable things,” she said.

She said she felt healing while working on rubbish or broken things such as a Kintsugi bowl from Japan with cracks containing gold.

“While working on jewellery from special materials like human hair, human nails, rubbish, I have found a connection with the human body. It’s like a way of expression, a notion and human body is a point to express.”

Art works from used bottles. Photo Courtesy of the Embassy

Born in Pakistan but having worked and lived across South Asia, Syed’s art trajectory has been unusual as an artist and as an art educator. She practised and taught art in several universities and art schools across South Asia such as the National College of Arts, Beaconhouse National University and Indus Valley School in Pakistan, School Of Culture And Creative Expressions, Ambedkar University, Delhi, Kathmandu University, Nepal, Theertha School of Art, Colombo and Swami Vipula Anand School Of Aesthetic, Batticaloa in Sri Lanka.

The exhibition runs till June 30 at the university on 360 Đê La Thành Street, Đống Đa District, Hà Nội. VNS