Auzeefa Khalil

I am an artist working in drawing and performance. In my drawings I focus on skin texture: the depth of pores and other blemishes on the skin in order to evoke emotions. I have created several pieces with charcoal and chalk experimenting with mark making and breath as part of my making process. I use charcoal by rolling it over the paper in order to create or leave an imprint of varied texture. 

I use sound in a way I consider correlates to this charcoal mark making. I want to create a flow with my voice, using fluidity. I want to sing at a pitch that conveys my pleasure in performance. In my performances I use my voice, my breath, my body, my hands and my face, as a way to refuse the shame I experience through my cultural heritage which dictates that women must be modest and silent. 

The combination of drawing and performance evolves out of a process of working from videos; close-ups of skin texture, singing in varied pitches, breathing and hums. 

I take a critical view of my own South Asian heritage having experienced shaming for expressing myself.