Imran Qureshi has received worldwide acclaim and attention as one of Pakistan’s most influential contemporary artists. Most recently he was named Deustche Bank’s 2013 Artist of the Year. 

Shown here are photos of his site-specific installation piece Blessings Upon the Land of my Love commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2011 as part of the Sharjah Biennal 10. In Qureshi’s own words: “There is an almost paradoxical quality between violence and beauty, life and death existing on one surface.” The images serve as a dialogue between life and death, creation and destruction, hope and despair. “Yes, these forms stem from violence…they are mingled with the color of blood, and at the same time this is where a dialogue with life, with new beginnings starts.” 

Sources: Sharjah Art Foundation (http://www.sharjahart.org/projects/projects-by-date/2011/blessings-upon-the-land-of-my-love-qureshi) and Deutsche Bank ArtMag (http://db-artmag.com/en/73/feature/imran-qureshi-deutsche-banks-artist-of-the-year-2013/)