Siddiq to host delayed TASIMJAE winning show, Nov. 5

Published 3:06 pm Tuesday, November 3, 2020

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BEAUMONT — Sajeela Siddiq’s solo exhibition, “A Poetry of Line and Shape,” will have a virtual opening, Nov. 7, at The Art Studio, Inc. A link to the show will be available at artstudio.org, and on The Art Studio’s Facebook and Instagram. Visitors will still be able to see the physical exhibition by appointment through Nov. 27.

Siddiq earned the show for winning The Art Studio, Inc. Member Jurored Art Exhibition (TASIMJAE) in 2019. The show was originally scheduled for this past May but was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As well as the pandemic, Siddiq was forced to evacuate from her Lake Charles, Louisiana home by Hurricane Laura. As a result, Siddiq said the show promises to be an eclectic mix of drawing, painting and graphic design.

“The show was supposed to be very different, then COVID hit and the hurricane hit, and I’ve had to move my studio, have had to move equipment — I work on large paper drawings, so I haven’t been able to finish as many as I thought I would. It keeps evolving,” the Pakistan-native said.

The show was originally going to include only drawings and paintings, but the limitations of lockdown and evacuation pushed her to explore other media as well. A common thread runs through her work — a love of the line.

“Line variety — that’s such a huge thing for me, the beauty of implied lines,” she said. “You can create designs day in day out and it’s infinite.”

A skilled portraitist, Siddiq is also interested in the imagery of maps, as well as graphic design inspired by her native Urdu calligraphy. All of these interests combine for a show that promises to have something for every taste.

“If people ask me what I like, it’s easier to say what I don’t like,” she said. “There’s only so much I can do. There’s not enough time in life.”

In-person viewing will be available during regular Art Studio hours, noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, at 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont, Texas. Call 409-838-5393 to make an appointment, or email info@artstudio.org.