Rabia Choudhary
Rabia Choudhary is a Queer Pakistani, Muslim immigrant with a passion for social justice, equity and activism. Rabia is driven by her lived experiences and is devoted to decolonization and QBIPOC equity within spaces and education. Rabia’s artwork focuses on her experiences and struggles with clashing identities that have hindered her journey of self love and acceptance.
ہمت (Himmat, Emotional Strength) 2020
Image Description:
This painting is acrylic and gouache on a wood cradle panel. On top of a sunset-orange background is a blue hand entering from the right side of the painting that is holding a piece of beaded jewelry that is also blue. The fingertips of the hand are covered in black ink, and there is an intricate design with the same black ink that covers the hand and wrist. The design includes geometric shapes, triangles, and lines, as well as some more floral patterns.
بے کرافجر (Fajr: First Prayer during Twilight)
Image Description:
Another acrylic and oil painting on a cradled panel, this artwork features two people standing and facing each other. Their arms are by their sides but their heads lean over each other’s shoulders. The person facing us is painted in pink and has darker pink, wavy hair. Their eyes are closed. The person facing away from us is painted with black and gray, but with spots of color throughout. The color is scratchy, almost like looking at a faded photo or like images of galaxies in the sky. They have a braid outlined in white running down their back. Behind both of the people is a large sun painted red fading to orange and then to yellow. Behind the sun, the background is light blue fading to white and then salmon.
بے کران (Boundless, Vast)
Image Description:
This painting is acrylic and oil on cradled panel and features a thin, naked person from behind, sitting with their knees folded and feet behind them. The person is painted pink with purple highlights and has darker, wavy hair flowing over the right side. They are holding a piece of red cloth with golden stars and a golden trim on it. The background is a mixture of blue and black texture, almost like it is swirling around the person, or like the person is inside a dark cave or in front of the night sky.
ر از جذبات (Soulfulness, Voice of the Soul)
Image Description
This acrylic and oil on wood panel painting shows a person in front of a sunset over a body of water. The sky is pink with bits of orange and the sun sits in the middle, outlined in pink. Where it is above the horizon, the sun is orange fading to yellow, and where it is below the horizon, it is sky blue surrounded by deep blue water. The water is partially obscured by the person’s naked body, which is painted in deep magenta. The person is thin and is sitting with their left side facing us, and they are leaning over themselves so their arm lays on top of their leg and their neck curves toward their arm. Their mouth is slightly ajar and their eyes are open, looking slightly toward the bottom left. They have dark wavy hair that falls down in front of them.