Ali Kazim

Ali Kazim is renowned for his layered and textured watercolors and drawings, which depict desolate landscapes and solitary figures.

Biography of Ali Kazim

Ali Kazim was born in 1979 in Pattoki, Pakistan. He studied at the National College of Arts in Lahore, receiving a BFA in 2002. Later, in 2011, he obtained an MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art in London. After his studies in the UK, he returned to Pakistan.

The artist has been honored with several awards and artist residencies, including his recent appointment as Oxford University's inaugural South Asian Artist-in-Residence. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Professor at the National College of Arts, Lahore.

Kazim has been active in the visual arts field for the past 12 years, showcasing his work extensively in solo and group exhibitions worldwide. His debut solo exhibition took place in Lahore in 2004, followed by additional solo shows in London and New York in 2006.

Recent exhibitions featuring Ali Kazim's works include "Ali Kazim: The Weight of Blue" at Jhaveri Contemporary in London (2023), "Portraits of People and Place" at Cristea Roberts Gallery in London (2022), "Suspended in Time" at The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford (2022), Lahore Biennale 02 (2020), "Form & Figure: Bodies of Art" at Grosvenor Gallery in London (2020), among others. 

His works have also found a permanent home in numerous public collections, including Queensland Art Gallery, Samdani Art Foundation, Burger Collection, Devi Art Foundation, British Museum, and USC Pacific Asia Museum.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan.

Ali Kazim's Art Style

Inspired by the art and history of the Indian subcontinent, Kazim employs meticulous brushwork that echoes miniature painting techniques, capturing intricate details down to individual strands of hair. He applies this same meticulous approach to landscapes and the ancient civilizations of Pakistan, treating them with a forensic finesse. Kazim documents ruins and crafts clay objects that evoke artifacts unearthed from long-buried cities, reflecting on the ancient civilizations that once thrived in Pakistan.

He portrays his subjects in intimate moments, meticulously rendering every minute detail of their appearance. The serene contemplation evident in his depictions reflects his deliberate and methodical creative process. Inspired by the Bengal School watercolourists, Kazim builds up color and detail by applying and washing away pigment, repeatedly bathing the work in water.