Journal

In conjunction with her first solo presentation at Kavi Gupta, we spoke with artist Haya Zaidi about the historical foundations of her practice, the evolving language of Indo-Persian miniature painting, and the ways she reimagines inherited narratives through a contemporary feminist lens. Drawing upon mythology, literature, and centuries-old visual traditions, Zaidi constructs richly layered paintings that challenge conventional representations of women while expanding the possibilities of figuration, symbolism, and storytelling.

 

Throughout the conversation, Zaidi reflects on the formative influences behind her work, her use of found textiles and tea washes, and her ongoing exploration of narrative, mythology, and the relationship between text and image. Together, these ideas reveal a practice that is deeply informed by history while remaining firmly rooted in the present—one that reconsiders the visual languages of the past to imagine more expansive and self-determined forms of representation.

In the quiet intimacy of a photo album, history speaks differently. Removed from the walls of institutions and the authority of the frame, photographs become something closer to memory; handled, revisited, and lived with. These pages of James Van Der Zee's personal albums offer this rare proximity: an autobiographical record of a life.

The following is an interview with artist Gordon Cheung, conducted by a self promted AI moderator. Across decades of practice, Cheung has explored the collapse of time, space, and material boundaries in a world saturated by information. In this conversation, his engagement with emerging technologies, from algorithmic manipulation to generative AI and 3D printing, is foregrounded, revealing a seamless dialogue between human intuition and machine logic. As the AI moderator reflects on Cheung’s work, the lines between artist and tool, hand and algorithm, begin to blur mirroring the very fusion of material, digital, and historical layers that defines his art.

Prior Nikko Washington's debut solo exhibition with the gallery For the Old Gods and the New opening, Nikko sat down with the team to discuss his practice, inspirations, and what he hopes viewers take away from their interactions with his work.