Asma Ahmed Shikoh

Asma Ahmed Shikoh is a visual artist who works with oils, acrylics and mixed media incorporating popular icons, cityscapes, and social issues in her imagery. “As an artist, my concerns have always been my immediate environment, especially the cities I’ve lived in. '' says Asma.

The work is a visual interplay of popular icons and the ‘hijab' (the head scarf adorned by Muslim women), highlighting the role of individual practices in the shaping of a unique national identity. It reflects her belief in the self empowering identity of American Muslim women.

- The Bee Hive -

Honeybees bear special mention in the Quran for their healing powers, with a chapter titled, The Bee (Chapter 16), in which it says:

"And [consider how] thy Sustainer has inspired the bee: "Prepare for thyself dwellings in mountains and in trees, and in what [men] may build [for thee by way of hives]; and then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow humbly the paths ordained for thee by thy Sustainer." [And lo!] there issues from within these [bees] a fluid of many hues, wherein there is health for man. In all this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who think!"

The significance of the beehive for this project is the fact that all the worker bees are females. The installation is formed of cells representing each of the women who have submitted the scarf. Each cell holds a scarf with the identity, occupation and location of the owner.

Check her out!