Ayesha Naeem is a visual artist based in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2021, Naeem graduated with Honors from the National College of Arts, Lahore in 2021, majoring in Painting. Since then, she has exhibited her works in Pakistan at Como Museum, Lahore Museum, O Art Space, Koel amongst other venues. Naeem’s choice of medium varies between paint, sculpture and photography. Her practice centers upon the idea of home as a transient space, touching upon themes of erasure, displacement, migration and identity. In 2022, Naeem was awarded the ZairaZaka studio Art prize and the recipient of Young Artist Award for the year 2022, organized by Alhamra.

Home is a transient space that breathes, ages, drifts and reshapes itself with the passing of time and due to movement, institutional and environmental factors. Origami-inspired forms frequently influence and inform my imagery. I find the ability of paper to fold and unfold synonymous to the packing and unpacking of a home before it is finally relocated to another place. Architectural elements are first crafted with paper as small scale models and later translated into paintings. The delicate nature of the paper resonates with the idea of home as a fragile space constantly adapting itself whilst the creases and folds in the painted forms become indicators of human presence and the condition of the space.