Muhammad Irfan Aziz

2010

20" x 16" x 10"

Plaster bandage and candle

It is one of my very first sculptures. It is a rib cage with a candle in it. The ribs cast shadows that undulate with the fluttering of the flame. Since this work requires a live flame for display, I haven't been able to show it much. That fact has become a part of this piece. Faith is illuminating. Faith is ancient. Faith is dangerous. Faith is a fire-hazard

2010

24 in X 24 in X 7 in

Corrugated cardboard

It is a three dimensional heart shape. It has a fingerprint pattern on it. Everybody is unique. To know a person, you have to go deeper than their outer appearance. You have to go beyond their skin colour, their accent, their origin. It is as distinct as a fingerprint.

2010

24 in X 24 in X 7 in

Corrugated cardboard

It is a three dimensional heart shape. It has a fingerprint pattern on it. Everybody is unique. To know a person, you have to go deeper than their outer appearance. You have to go beyond their skin colour, their accent, their origin. It is as distinct as a fingerprint.

2010

76 in X 40 in X 24 in

Paper-clay and fabric

I have shown 4 different kinds of Muslim males. The head is of a westernized guy, the hair style an homage to Cary Grant. The beard is of a religious man. The right hand is clicking a mouse - a modern man. The left hand is using rosary beads, religion again. These four kinds of Muslim males are connected with ripped fabric. Fabric is a common adornment of Muslim women. As it is pooled on the floor, a broken shoe of a child lays next to it. It is joined there by a stencil, "Terrorist". Mostly men get labelled, women and children suffer in the background.

2010

76 in X 40 in X 24 in

Paper-clay and fabric

I have shown 4 different kinds of Muslim males. The head is of a westernized guy, the hair style an homage to Cary Grant. The beard is of a religious man. The right hand is clicking a mouse - a modern man. The left hand is using rosary beads, religion again. These four kinds of Muslim males are connected with ripped fabric. Fabric is a common adornment of Muslim women. As it is pooled on the floor, a broken shoe of a child lays next to it. It is joined there by a stencil, "Terrorist". Mostly men get labelled, women and children suffer in the background.

2010

76 in X 40 in X 24 in

Paper-clay and fabric

I have shown 4 different kinds of Muslim males. The head is of a westernized guy, the hair style an homage to Cary Grant. The beard is of a religious man. The right hand is clicking a mouse - a modern man. The left hand is using rosary beads, religion again. These four kinds of Muslim males are connected with ripped fabric. Fabric is a common adornment of Muslim women. As it is pooled on the floor, a broken shoe of a child lays next to it. It is joined there by a stencil, "Terrorist". Mostly men get labelled, women and children suffer in the background.

2010

76 in X 40 in X 24 in

Paper-clay and fabric

I have shown 4 different kinds of Muslim males. The head is of a westernized guy, the hair style an homage to Cary Grant. The beard is of a religious man. The right hand is clicking a mouse - a modern man. The left hand is using rosary beads, religion again. These four kinds of Muslim males are connected with ripped fabric. Fabric is a common adornment of Muslim women. As it is pooled on the floor, a broken shoe of a child lays next to it. It is joined there by a stencil, "Terrorist". Mostly men get labelled, women and children suffer in the background.

2010

60 in X 24 in X 3 in

Plaster

It shows three symbols. When you migrate, in Canada you are referred to as a Landed Immigrant. In United States you are called a Legal Alien in official documents. If you try going back to the Muslim countries, the descriptor used is Westernized. Labels and immigrants stay together.

2010

60 in X 24 in X 3 in

Plaster

It shows three symbols. When you migrate, in Canada you are referred to as a Landed Immigrant. In United States you are called a Legal Alien in official documents. If you try going back to the Muslim countries, the descriptor used is Westernized. Labels and immigrants stay together.

2010

18" x 10" x 8"

Clay

The concept is of humility, comfort and hope. As you kneel down you show loyalty. In prayer you express gratitude. The belief that you can ask for help is calming. A female figure in prayer represents humanity and in that love, support and appreciation. 

2010

18" x 10" x 8"

Clay

The concept is of humility, comfort and hope. As you kneel down you show loyalty. In prayer you express gratitude. The belief that you can ask for help is calming. A female figure in prayer represents humanity and in that love, support and appreciation. 

2010

18" x 10" x 8"

Clay

The concept is of humility, comfort and hope. As you kneel down you show loyalty. In prayer you express gratitude. The belief that you can ask for help is calming. A female figure in prayer represents humanity and in that love, support and appreciation. 

2010

20" x 20" x 3"

Wax

Wax makes this piece organic. Blood red is used to enhance that feel. It is registered events, moments, emotions and perceptions. The form is a ripple frozen in time.

2010

Dimensions variable

Clay and wire

2010

Dimensions variable

Clay and wire

2011

24" x 12" (each)

Plaster on canvas

A modern implement is shown as an ancient artifact. I find it amusing that broken old stuff is show-worthy while broken new stuff is dumped. Knives are useful, sharp and dangerous. Like most household items, broken or defective knives are discarded without much thought. A good tool, however, is missed when it is gone. The presented work is an homage to defect and a celebration of rejection. Trophy knives are made of white plaster attached to blank canvases.

2011

24" x 12" (each)

Plaster on canvas

A modern implement is shown as an ancient artifact. I find it amusing that broken old stuff is show-worthy while broken new stuff is dumped. Knives are useful, sharp and dangerous. Like most household items, broken or defective knives are discarded without much thought. A good tool, however, is missed when it is gone. The presented work is an homage to defect and a celebration of rejection. Trophy knives are made of white plaster attached to blank canvases.

2011

24" x 12" (each)

Plaster on canvas

A modern implement is shown as an ancient artifact. I find it amusing that broken old stuff is show-worthy while broken new stuff is dumped. Knives are useful, sharp and dangerous. Like most household items, broken or defective knives are discarded without much thought. A good tool, however, is missed when it is gone. The presented work is an homage to defect and a celebration of rejection. Trophy knives are made of white plaster attached to blank canvases.

2011

48" x 23" x 0.5"

Gloss paper and cardboard

In 2011 I had moved 8 times in past 11 years. The work is titled "Home?" as I don't know what address to consider home. I took the google map of the 8 places. I removed everything but the roads and the streets. I framed each map with the cardboard from the moving boxes. I am drawn to the cast shadows and the negative shapes of the work.

2011

48" x 23" x 0.5"

Gloss paper and cardboard

In 2011 I had moved 8 times in past 11 years. The work is titled "Home?" as I don't know what address to consider home. I took the google map of the 8 places. I removed everything but the roads and the streets. I framed each map with the cardboard from the moving boxes. I am drawn to the cast shadows and the negative shapes of the work.

2011

48" x 23" x 0.5"

Gloss paper and cardboard

In 2011 I had moved 8 times in past 11 years. The work is titled "Home?" as I don't know what address to consider home. I took the google map of the 8 places. I removed everything but the roads and the streets. I framed each map with the cardboard from the moving boxes. I am drawn to the cast shadows and the negative shapes of the work.

2011

4" x 2" x 1" (each)

Plaster

There are 56 shapes arranged in a grid on the floor. Each object is the negative shape of my fist cast in plaster. The fingerprints are visible as are the palm lines. It is an autobiographical work showing a personal sculpting method. The smaller objects are the result of hard squeezes. The bigger objects are formed via relaxed pressure.

2011

4" x 2" x 1" (each)

Plaster

There are 56 shapes arranged in a grid on the floor. Each object is the negative shape of my fist cast in plaster. The fingerprints are visible as are the palm lines. It is an autobiographical work showing a personal sculpting method. The smaller objects are the result of hard squeezes. The bigger objects are formed via relaxed pressure.

2011

4" x 2" x 1" (each)

Plaster

There are 56 shapes arranged in a grid on the floor. Each object is the negative shape of my fist cast in plaster. The fingerprints are visible as are the palm lines. It is an autobiographical work showing a personal sculpting method. The smaller objects are the result of hard squeezes. The bigger objects are formed via relaxed pressure.

2011

4" x 2" x 1" (each)

Plaster

There are 56 shapes arranged in a grid on the floor. Each object is the negative shape of my fist cast in plaster. The fingerprints are visible as are the palm lines. It is an autobiographical work showing a personal sculpting method. The smaller objects are the result of hard squeezes. The bigger objects are formed via relaxed pressure.

2011

36" x 10" x 1"

Acrylic on pine

It is an official looking sign that has the Government of Canada's font and graphics. Instead of saying Canada, it says Assimilate with the flag on the last letter. Multiculturalism is a hollow word. Only superficial diversity is desired in Canada, as I see it. Things get tense when you start to differ in more than your appearance and accent. It is hard to have a differing moral, ethical, religious and world view without the ever-present sentiment, "why don't you go back to where you came from?". Acceptance is conditional and often temporary.

2011

36" x 10" x 1"

Acrylic on pine

It is an official looking sign that has the Government of Canada's font and graphics. Instead of saying Canada, it says Assimilate with the flag on the last letter. Multiculturalism is a hollow word. Only superficial diversity is desired in Canada, as I see it. Things get tense when you start to differ in more than your appearance and accent. It is hard to have a differing moral, ethical, religious and world view without the ever-present sentiment, "why don't you go back to where you came from?". Acceptance is conditional and often temporary.

2011

36" x 10" x 1"

Acrylic on pine

It is an official looking sign that has the Government of Canada's font and graphics. Instead of saying Canada, it says Assimilate with the flag on the last letter. Multiculturalism is a hollow word. Only superficial diversity is desired in Canada, as I see it. Things get tense when you start to differ in more than your appearance and accent. It is hard to have a differing moral, ethical, religious and world view without the ever-present sentiment, "why don't you go back to where you came from?". Acceptance is conditional and often temporary.

2011

38" x 15" x 11"

Cotton on felt stuffing

My mother died in a hospital. She was struck by a car as she was using the pedestrian crossing. The hospital refused to release her remains before performing an autopsy. We, her family, requested the autopsy not be done as it clashes with our beliefs. The hospital denied the request and we were told that things had to be done by the book. When we went to bury her, the cemetery insisted on placing the body in a wooden box for burial. In our religion, we lower the body in the grave, put three slabs of concrete or stones on top, so animals can't dig through, and fill the rest with dirt. There is no wooden box. Wood will disintegrate underground so it is not for sanitation purposes. The cemetery insisted, however, on doing things by the book also. 

In this work I have prepared a half-scale body for burial using religious text. I have followed step by step instructions on shrouding the body in five pieces of cotton. The process was a cathartic experience as I regained some control taken away from me and my family. The shrouded body has a cloth labelled "Property of Canada". It is my experience that when you die, you become the country's property. Canada can do what it chooses to your remains, requests from the next of kin be damned.

2011

38" x 15" x 11"

Cotton on felt stuffing

My mother died in a hospital. She was struck by a car as she was using the pedestrian crossing. The hospital refused to release her remains before performing an autopsy. We, her family, requested the autopsy not be done as it clashes with our beliefs. The hospital denied the request and we were told that things had to be done by the book. When we went to bury her, the cemetery insisted on placing the body in a wooden box for burial. In our religion, we lower the body in the grave, put three slabs of concrete or stones on top, so animals can't dig through, and fill the rest with dirt. There is no wooden box. Wood will disintegrate underground so it is not for sanitation purposes. The cemetery insisted, however, on doing things by the book also. 

In this work I have prepared a half-scale body for burial using religious text. I have followed step by step instructions on shrouding the body in five pieces of cotton. The process was a cathartic experience as I regained some control taken away from me and my family. The shrouded body has a cloth labelled "Property of Canada". It is my experience that when you die, you become the country's property. Canada can do what it chooses to your remains, requests from the next of kin be damned.

2011

38" x 15" x 11"

Cotton on felt stuffing

My mother died in a hospital. She was struck by a car as she was using the pedestrian crossing. The hospital refused to release her remains before performing an autopsy. We, her family, requested the autopsy not be done as it clashes with our beliefs. The hospital denied the request and we were told that things had to be done by the book. When we went to bury her, the cemetery insisted on placing the body in a wooden box for burial. In our religion, we lower the body in the grave, put three slabs of concrete or stones on top, so animals can't dig through, and fill the rest with dirt. There is no wooden box. Wood will disintegrate underground so it is not for sanitation purposes. The cemetery insisted, however, on doing things by the book also. 

In this work I have prepared a half-scale body for burial using religious text. I have followed step by step instructions on shrouding the body in five pieces of cotton. The process was a cathartic experience as I regained some control taken away from me and my family. The shrouded body has a cloth labelled "Property of Canada". It is my experience that when you die, you become the country's property. Canada can do what it chooses to your remains, requests from the next of kin be damned.

2012

Dimensions variable

Mixed media

The work is called Visitors. I made it in 2012. In hockey arenas the scoreboard shows the two teams as "home side" and "visitors". As an immigrant I feel like a visitor. The goalie is in my mother's dress. The defence-man is in my dress. We, the immigrants, are doing a very Canadian thing. Both the faces have mirrors so the audience can see itself as having this experience.

Visitors are made of mixed media. The goalie is 5 ft 2 inches. The defence-man is 6 ft 4 inches.

2012

Dimensions variable

Mixed media

The work is called Visitors. I made it in 2012. In hockey arenas the scoreboard shows the two teams as "home side" and "visitors". As an immigrant I feel like a visitor. The goalie is in my mother's dress. The defence-man is in my dress. We, the immigrants, are doing a very Canadian thing. Both the faces have mirrors so the audience can see itself as having this experience.

Visitors are made of mixed media. The goalie is 5 ft 2 inches. The defence-man is 6 ft 4 inches.

2012

Dimensions variable

Mixed media

The work is called Visitors. I made it in 2012. In hockey arenas the scoreboard shows the two teams as "home side" and "visitors". As an immigrant I feel like a visitor. The goalie is in my mother's dress. The defence-man is in my dress. We, the immigrants, are doing a very Canadian thing. Both the faces have mirrors so the audience can see itself as having this experience.

Visitors are made of mixed media. The goalie is 5 ft 2 inches. The defence-man is 6 ft 4 inches.

2012

Dimensions variable

Mixed media

The work is called Visitors. I made it in 2012. In hockey arenas the scoreboard shows the two teams as "home side" and "visitors". As an immigrant I feel like a visitor. The goalie is in my mother's dress. The defence-man is in my dress. We, the immigrants, are doing a very Canadian thing. Both the faces have mirrors so the audience can see itself as having this experience.

Visitors are made of mixed media. The goalie is 5 ft 2 inches. The defence-man is 6 ft 4 inches.

2012

60" x 30" x 0.5"

Mixed media

Public transit is my primary mode of travel. I have a love-hate relationship with it. To capture this dynamic I have juxtaposed a pair of subway seats with a hangman's noose. Seats are for the comfort of transit. The noose is for the dependence on transit.

2012

60" x 30" x 0.5"

Mixed media

Public transit is my primary mode of travel. I have a love-hate relationship with it. To capture this dynamic I have juxtaposed a pair of subway seats with a hangman's noose. Seats are for the comfort of transit. The noose is for the dependence on transit.

2012

60" x 30" x 0.5"

Mixed media

Public transit is my primary mode of travel. I have a love-hate relationship with it. To capture this dynamic I have juxtaposed a pair of subway seats with a hangman's noose. Seats are for the comfort of transit. The noose is for the dependence on transit.

2012

dimensions variable

twigs and hot glue

2012

dimensions variable

twigs and hot glue

2012

dimensions variable

twigs and hot glue

2012

dimensions variable

twigs and hot glue

2013

42" x 42" x 12"

Cardboard and burlap

This work is called Arab Spring. The events in middle east were supposed to be so liberating and good. People were rising up and over-throwing kings and dictators. Things haven't turned out that well. People are still hurt and suffering. I took my inspiration from greek theatre masks. Those masks show both comedy and tragedy. My work just shows tragedy. There is a Muslim woman in Hijab. There is a Muslim man with long beard and traditional headgear. Both of them are showing distress.

2013

42" x 42" x 12"

Cardboard and burlap

This work is called Arab Spring. The events in middle east were supposed to be so liberating and good. People were rising up and over-throwing kings and dictators. Things haven't turned out that well. People are still hurt and suffering. I took my inspiration from greek theatre masks. Those masks show both comedy and tragedy. My work just shows tragedy. There is a Muslim woman in Hijab. There is a Muslim man with long beard and traditional headgear. Both of them are showing distress.

2013

42" x 42" x 12"

Cardboard and burlap

This work is called Arab Spring. The events in middle east were supposed to be so liberating and good. People were rising up and over-throwing kings and dictators. Things haven't turned out that well. People are still hurt and suffering. I took my inspiration from greek theatre masks. Those masks show both comedy and tragedy. My work just shows tragedy. There is a Muslim woman in Hijab. There is a Muslim man with long beard and traditional headgear. Both of them are showing distress.

2013

42" x 42" x 12"

Cardboard and burlap

This work is called Arab Spring. The events in middle east were supposed to be so liberating and good. People were rising up and over-throwing kings and dictators. Things haven't turned out that well. People are still hurt and suffering. I took my inspiration from greek theatre masks. Those masks show both comedy and tragedy. My work just shows tragedy. There is a Muslim woman in Hijab. There is a Muslim man with long beard and traditional headgear. Both of them are showing distress.

2013

42" x 42" x 12"

Cardboard and burlap

This work is called Arab Spring. The events in middle east were supposed to be so liberating and good. People were rising up and over-throwing kings and dictators. Things haven't turned out that well. People are still hurt and suffering. I took my inspiration from greek theatre masks. Those masks show both comedy and tragedy. My work just shows tragedy. There is a Muslim woman in Hijab. There is a Muslim man with long beard and traditional headgear. Both of them are showing distress.

2013

20" x 20" x 20"

Masking tape, cardboard and gesso

The concept of identity fascinates me. Who are we? Where are we? How are we? Standards like origin, faith, and culture can initiate this dialogue. Our daily experiences, however, continue to define and calibrate our self-images. We can appreciate and celebrate our differences. We can also marvel at our similarities. A simple deconstruction makes so many experiences from so many cultures resemble each other. We have complex identities in a shifting world. There also are images and fronts that are carefully crafted and delicately presented. Some are facial masks, some are building facades. All expressions are part of creative meditations. What if there were 4 CN towers? What if they acted as minarets of a mosque? What if the Rogers Centre was a mosque? What if 50,000 Muslims gathered there 5 times a day? What if the call to prayers rang throughout the downtown core?

2013

20" x 20" x 20"

Masking tape, cardboard and gesso

The concept of identity fascinates me. Who are we? Where are we? How are we? Standards like origin, faith, and culture can initiate this dialogue. Our daily experiences, however, continue to define and calibrate our self-images. We can appreciate and celebrate our differences. We can also marvel at our similarities. A simple deconstruction makes so many experiences from so many cultures resemble each other. We have complex identities in a shifting world. There also are images and fronts that are carefully crafted and delicately presented. Some are facial masks, some are building facades. All expressions are part of creative meditations. What if there were 4 CN towers? What if they acted as minarets of a mosque? What if the Rogers Centre was a mosque? What if 50,000 Muslims gathered there 5 times a day? What if the call to prayers rang throughout the downtown core?

2013

20" x 20" x 20"

Masking tape, cardboard and gesso

The concept of identity fascinates me. Who are we? Where are we? How are we? Standards like origin, faith, and culture can initiate this dialogue. Our daily experiences, however, continue to define and calibrate our self-images. We can appreciate and celebrate our differences. We can also marvel at our similarities. A simple deconstruction makes so many experiences from so many cultures resemble each other. We have complex identities in a shifting world. There also are images and fronts that are carefully crafted and delicately presented. Some are facial masks, some are building facades. All expressions are part of creative meditations. What if there were 4 CN towers? What if they acted as minarets of a mosque? What if the Rogers Centre was a mosque? What if 50,000 Muslims gathered there 5 times a day? What if the call to prayers rang throughout the downtown core?

2013

20" x 20" x 20"

Masking tape, cardboard and gesso

The concept of identity fascinates me. Who are we? Where are we? How are we? Standards like origin, faith, and culture can initiate this dialogue. Our daily experiences, however, continue to define and calibrate our self-images. We can appreciate and celebrate our differences. We can also marvel at our similarities. A simple deconstruction makes so many experiences from so many cultures resemble each other. We have complex identities in a shifting world. There also are images and fronts that are carefully crafted and delicately presented. Some are facial masks, some are building facades. All expressions are part of creative meditations. What if there were 4 CN towers? What if they acted as minarets of a mosque? What if the Rogers Centre was a mosque? What if 50,000 Muslims gathered there 5 times a day? What if the call to prayers rang throughout the downtown core?

2013

20" x 20" x 20"

Masking tape, cardboard and gesso

The concept of identity fascinates me. Who are we? Where are we? How are we? Standards like origin, faith, and culture can initiate this dialogue. Our daily experiences, however, continue to define and calibrate our self-images. We can appreciate and celebrate our differences. We can also marvel at our similarities. A simple deconstruction makes so many experiences from so many cultures resemble each other. We have complex identities in a shifting world. There also are images and fronts that are carefully crafted and delicately presented. Some are facial masks, some are building facades. All expressions are part of creative meditations. What if there were 4 CN towers? What if they acted as minarets of a mosque? What if the Rogers Centre was a mosque? What if 50,000 Muslims gathered there 5 times a day? What if the call to prayers rang throughout the downtown core?

2013

24" x 24" x 12"

Cardboard and wire

Half my thoughts are in English. Half my thoughts are in Urdu. I think in gibberish. If any person who knows just one of these two languages gets to see my thoughts, he or she won't understand them. Knotted Rhetoric is my thought sculpted. The shown piece asks, "what is my purpose?" in both English and Urdu. The physical knot hinders its legibility. The undulating shadow depicts the thinking process in progress. (The work, and hence its shadow, move when somebody walks by)

2013

24" x 24" x 12"

Cardboard and wire

Half my thoughts are in English. Half my thoughts are in Urdu. I think in gibberish. If any person who knows just one of these two languages gets to see my thoughts, he or she won't understand them. Knotted Rhetoric is my thought sculpted. The shown piece asks, "what is my purpose?" in both English and Urdu. The physical knot hinders its legibility. The undulating shadow depicts the thinking process in progress. (The work, and hence its shadow, move when somebody walks by)

2013

24" x 24" x 12"

Cardboard and wire

Half my thoughts are in English. Half my thoughts are in Urdu. I think in gibberish. If any person who knows just one of these two languages gets to see my thoughts, he or she won't understand them. Knotted Rhetoric is my thought sculpted. The shown piece asks, "what is my purpose?" in both English and Urdu. The physical knot hinders its legibility. The undulating shadow depicts the thinking process in progress. (The work, and hence its shadow, move when somebody walks by)

2016

Dimensions variable

Mixed media

2016

136" x 10" x 68"

Mixed media