Shaheer Zazai: Another word for translation. Another thread for thought.

Winter 2025 Exhibition at Latcham Art Centre

Left to right: CG1216For6080JT N1, 2021. Digital print on watercolour paper. CG1216For6080JT N1, 2022. Cotton tapestry, woven by Jacquard loom. Image courtesy of the artist and Patel Brown Gallery.

Shaheer Zazai
Another word for translation. Another thread for thought.

January 10 – February 22, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, January 10, 7 – 9pm
Light refreshments. All are welcome, and admission is free.

What if, instead of scrolling through social media, a person resolved to begin each day with a creative act? That is what Shaheer Zazai did in 2013, when he purposefully opened Microsoft Word to make a design using 2013 characters. What began as a creative distraction from social media would lead Zazai into a new form of art production that he never intended to pursue. You never know where a resolution will take you.

This exhibition includes Zazai’s digital prints, Jacquard tapestries, handwoven carpets and videos, all translated from images painstakingly created in Microsoft Word. Through these varied media, Zazai traces the technological progression from traditional Afghan handweaving to the development of the Jacquard loom, which informed the design of early computers.

As an Afghan-Canadian artist, Shaheer Zazai’s work integrates the rich history of Afghan carpet production with contemporary media and graphic languages to open a dialogue between Eastern and Western traditions and between the technologies of the past and present.

Latcham Art Centre gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, January 10, from 7 to 9pm. Remarks will begin at 7:30. Latcham Art Centre gratefully acknowledges the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville for their generous support of this exhibition.

NS4P7F2219, 2020. Digital print on watercolour paper. Image courtesy of the artist and Patel Brown Gallery.

About the Artist:

Shaheer Zazai is an Afghan-Canadian artist whose studio practice includes painting, digital media, textile work, site-specific public art installations and video. Zazai received a BFA from OCAD University (2011) and was artist in residence at OCAD University as part of the Digital Painting Atelier (2015). Zazai’s art practice explores the development of cultural identity in the present geopolitical climate and diaspora.

Zazai is a recipient of Ontario Arts Council grants, and he was a finalist for EQ Bank’s Emerging Digital Artist Award in 2018. Zazai’s work has been featured in several solo and group exhibitions such as those at the Capacity 3 Gallery, CAFKA Biennial 2019, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Double Happiness Projects and Patel Brown. His digital works have been covered by CBC Arts (2018), Ajam Media Collective (2019) and Globe and Mail (2020).

His recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, an off-site group exhibition curated by The Power Plant Contemporary and a solo exhibition at Owens Art Gallery as part of a visiting artist program at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

About Latcham Art Centre:

Latcham Art Centre is a public art gallery that inspires the community to engage with arts and culture through dedicated exhibitions of contemporary art that reflect a range of artistic media and the cultural diversity of our province. Latcham Art Centre offers vibrant education programs that cultivate creativity and experimentation through classes, workshops, artist talks, and tours. Latcham Art Centre is located in Stouffville, Ontario, 45 minutes northeast of Toronto with free parking and is accessible via GO Transit. The Gallery is open to the public and admission is free.

Latcham Art Centre is accessible.

Gallery Hours:
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday: 10am – 8pm
Wednesday: 10am – 8pm
Thursday: 10am – 8pm
Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm

For more information please contact:
Jeff Nye, Curator
Latcham Art Centre
jeffrey.nye@latchamartcentre.ca

Latcham Art Centre
2 Park Drive
Stouffville, ON L4A 4K1
T: 905-540-8964
Free admission
www.latchamartcentre.ca

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