Nida Bangash
I Am a Tree
Talley Dunn Gallery
May 11 – June 8, 2024
Talley Dunn Gallery is proud to present I am a Tree, an exhibition of evocative paintings and drawings by the visionary Dallas-based artist, Nida Bangash. This captivating exhibition invites viewers on a poignant journey through time, space, and traditions of storytelling. Conceived during the artist’s first pregnancy and completed when her first child was nine years old, this body of work follows Bangash’s explorations of identity and belonging unfolding over a decade-long odyssey. It is a tale of longing and a yearning to find one’s place within the fabric of existence.
Inspired by a chapter from Turkish Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk’s novel, My Name is Red, in which an incomplete drawing of a tree becomes lost before its weaved into a book, Bangash sets out to find such a drawing its own home. At the heart of the exhibition lies a beautifully bound artist book, a vessel housing nine paintings and nine drawings, each depicting a tree displaced from its original context and woven into a new narrative tapestry. Bangash waters her roots in Persian and South Asian miniature painting, creating exquisitely intricate, shimmering expressive forms. Like the incomplete drawing in Pamuk’s novel, these trees are adrift, unsure of the stories they once belonged to, yet yearning to find their place in the world.
Accompanying the artist book are nine diptychs, each presenting a different tree sharing a common story of displacement and resilience. From the bergamot tree, uprooted from its Southeast Asian origins to find itself entwined in the history of Italian and English culture, to the Palestinian olive tree, ravaged by conflict yet enduring with unwavering strength—each tree bears witness to the complexities of human experience. I am a Tree is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the resilience of the human spirit. Through Bangash’s masterful exploration of narrative and imagery, viewers are invited to contemplate their own journey of self-discovery and connection to the world around them. Bangash invites viewers to delve into the rich tapestry of I am a Tree, and embark on a journey of reflection, empathy, and renewal.
Interdisciplinary artist Nida Bangash was born in Iran, raised in Pakistan, and currently lives in North Texas. While she works in a variety of media, Bangash was formally trained in Persian and South Asian miniature painting. Utilizing intricate patterns and precise details, Bangash’s works weave in personal identity and experience to investigate the complexities of immigration, colonialism, culture, and race. Bangash earned an MA (Hons.) Visual Arts degree from the National College of Arts in Lahore and an MFA from Southern Methodist University. Additionally, Bangash received the Charles Wallace Arts Fellowship to study at the Princes School of Arts in London.
Bangash’s artwork has been shown in the Crow Collection of Asian Art Museum, Dallas; The Reading Room, Dallas; Kent Gallery, Florida State College Jacksonville; Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; Idea Store, Whitechapel Gallery, London; Belconnen Arts Center, Canberra, Australia; thejamjar, Dubai; Saeed Akhtar Studio, Lahore; Zahoor-ul Alkhlaaq Gallery, National College of Arts, Lahore; Drawing Room Gallery, Lahore; and Canvas Gallery, Karachi.