Anwar Saeed
Wandering spy angel, 2025
Acrylic and collage on plywood
48.3 x 35.6 cm
19 x 14 in
19 x 14 in
Wandering Spy Angel Born and raised in a religious family, I learnt how to read Quran and my daily prayers quite early in my childhood. But in my teen years...
Wandering Spy Angel
Born and raised in a religious family, I learnt how to read Quran and my daily prayers quite early in my childhood. But in my teen years I started doubting it all and religious obligations started to appear burdensome.
I have used the religious iconography, like the image of Buraq, angels, spirits etc and based many of my images on the ideas from Islamic, Christian and Hindu mythologies, even in the beginning of my artistic life, which formed a sizeable part of my visual vocabulary. Here in this one we have an angel as a spy, sent from above to keep an eye on ordinary humans. Part of the broader system, in a society like ours, they are administrative tools for the religious and other authorities to help implement their narrative. They can be seen as priests, pundits, mullahs and even as members of the youth wings of religious political parties in this country.
Born and raised in a religious family, I learnt how to read Quran and my daily prayers quite early in my childhood. But in my teen years I started doubting it all and religious obligations started to appear burdensome.
I have used the religious iconography, like the image of Buraq, angels, spirits etc and based many of my images on the ideas from Islamic, Christian and Hindu mythologies, even in the beginning of my artistic life, which formed a sizeable part of my visual vocabulary. Here in this one we have an angel as a spy, sent from above to keep an eye on ordinary humans. Part of the broader system, in a society like ours, they are administrative tools for the religious and other authorities to help implement their narrative. They can be seen as priests, pundits, mullahs and even as members of the youth wings of religious political parties in this country.