Curatorial Rationale – 700 words

Name: Maryam Shareef

My exhibition circulates around the theme of how the youth responds to social norms and cultural influences as a
result of generational gaps between children and their parents. Each piece is a part of a timeline of events, when we
attempt to blend in, when we experience internal conflict of influence vs. self, when we question, we try to create
safe spaces. Overall I looked at our differences and how we respond to social cultures when we were younger, more
careless and naive, than when we’re older, more cautious but more daring. My intentions are to humor my
audience; I wanted my pieces to remain playful and lighthearted, as a way to bring awareness of how young our
generation is. My initial approaches for this theme was when I started to explore things that have had a direct
impact and influence on me, leading me down a path that I found much more interesting, our reactions and
responses. My works include a variety of different mediums, from photography, painting, charcoal, to digital art.
My choices of media were quite significant to their respective meanings. Having already had a foundation in
photography, all my pieces have a photographic basis. All my pieces were inspired by events and situations in my
own life.

My introductory photography piece, ‘Blinded’, inspired by a local artist, Ali Chaaban, served as a direct
commentary on my argument that we, as the youth, are weak and have allowed ourselves to become ‘puppets’ of
society. Similarly, ‘Give In’ displayed caution and balance required to be aware of when allowing yourself to
‘accept’ or blend into your surroundings.

In an attempt to blend in, we face the conflict of trying to distinguish between influence and self. ‘ Blackout’
showcases that conflict of desires. In a humorous manner, it shows our want to be what society wants, but also what
you are. ‘Majority in Minority’ also carries out a similar function. For they both reflect on the contrasts that are
prevalent in our opinions and desires and the words of the environment we are in. We are not resistant, but are
disturbed with the contradistinction.

When disturbed, we look for a source of comfort, a source of familiarity to reassure us that everything will be fine,
leading me to ‘Our Bubble’. Contrasting to my introductory pieces, this piece showed a figure that challenged her
surroundings. Having had numerous conversations with people around me, I was aware of how many people could
relate and had gone through the same thing, This being the reason for me to use postcards as a representation of
mass media, a way to distribute and share with others a ‘window’ into our lives. ‘Cultura Autem Plus Reprimit
Adolescentia’ displays a collection of everything that influences good, bad, and everything we seek comfort in.

While searching for comfort, we question. We question why we do what we do, and why we believe what we
believe. For the only way to truly believe something is to have an answer to every question about it. ‘Mama, these
don’t mean anything’ was inspired by Damien Hirst’s blasphemous commentaries on religious ideologies. This
charcoal triptych displayed signs that society has placed religious value upon, something as large as faith
symbolized by something as simple as hands.

Through questioning, we are unsatisfied, and try to create something we see value in. ‘Social Order’ demonstrates
this by showing a product created in recent years, and how it has developed almost a much importance in the
religious traditions we embrace. Amidst its mass-market popularity, its symbolic value is controversial.

Essentially, when studying how the youth responds to social norms and cultures, I saw, that even through rebellion,
through protest and accepting, everything leads back to what we were told when we were kids. The phrases and
answers we heard really affected the way we think. On sticky notes, ‘Family Friday’ shows that whether we
valued these answers or not, they resonated with us, from our childhood to present.

The hardest part of this exhibition was finding a way to illustrate how and what we were feeling as a confused
generation. I thought that by mixing my mediums between traditional and non-traditional it complimented my
theme.
Title: Fabrication

Medium: Print on photo paper

Intentions: Directly inspired by Ali Chaaban’s ‘The Confused Arab’ photography. Our
environment blurs the fine line between religion & society; in response we are so
overwhelmed, that we just blindly accept. The series shows a passage of time, from
childhood to adulthood, how we are puppets with fabricated thoughts. I intentionally
used photography here to bring a sense of realism, to make viewers aware that this is

Title: Give in

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Intentions: On a more serious note, this piece shows the beauty of allowing yourself to
be submerged and embraced by your surroundings, but also the less appealing side of
it. It is a reminder of the balance we must maintain, we should not distance ourselves
from what is around us, but we also must not let it overpower and remove us from
ourselves. The Islamic details were inspirations I took from my home, referring to the
comfort that society can bring us, and how we accept it, but also the toxicity it may
come with, seen in the snake.

Title: Blackout

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Intentions: With the blurred line between our own thoughts & society’s thoughts, we’re
faced with a conflict of desires. In every environment, there’s a list of things we can do
and we can’t do, but with our lack of knowledge we usually don’t know how to react,
and know that we should question. And without answers, we can’t proceed, leaving us
torn between two different sides. I wanted to show this conflict in a more literal way
with the youthful part spirit, to humor you at how ignorant we can be.
Title: Our Bubble

Medium: Print on photo paper

Intentions: When we are younger, our responses to social norms are awkward. We’d
try to fit in, however our need for comfort would overcome us, creating a scene of
awkwardness. Inspired by my own personal childhood engagements, I wanted to show
the social ambiguity faced. We have become so overwhelmed & succumb to an item of
comfort, bubble gum.

Title: Majority in Minority

Medium: Digital on Photo paper

Intentions: A lot of the time we may feel that we are the ‘odd ones out’, in the minority.
But with a whole generation feeling like this, the minority becomes the majority. We
follow a train of pattern and cultural uniformity, even though we are disconnected
from it. The disconnection causes trauma and conflict of our own individual identities
that we were once so sure of. We feel a need to conform to tradition, individually,
because we think no one else is dealing with this.

Title: Cultura Autem Plus Reprimit Adolescentia (culture supresses the youth)

Medium: Digital

Intentions: Essentially, this piece groups together the overarching theme; how the
youth responds to social cultures. Displaying variation of objects that represent both
norms and challenges, I created a cabinet of curiosities & chaos, in which we are
trying to stay afloat in, rather than becoming carbon copies of our ancestors. This
piece is not to insult our heritage, but more of an ode of respect to how they have
shaped us. Cabinets hold fragile items, our traditions are growing old, and we must
keep them safe.
Title: Social Order

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Intentions: As bread is with butter, Vimto is with Ramadan. Vimto represents what our
generation has created, developed, and integrated into traditional culture. It is a
symbol of how we put our mark on what should last forever, religion. The beauty is in
the contrast of the steadfastness of Islamic architecture and the disposability of a
Vimto can.

Title: “Mama, that doesn’t mean anything”

Medium: Charcoal on Cartridge

Intentions: In the hands of our elders they hold religion, they hold truth (or lies?). But
how can we be sure? We see these gestures everywhere, but they are overlooked so
easily, how does that compliment the supposed power/value we are told they represent.
A single finger represents Islam. Crossed fingers, comments on how what we think is
true can be a lie. And the fist is crumbled importance. These are my mother’s hands; to
me they represent comfort, a reason I feel that I can question without fear.

Title: Family Friday

Medium: Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

Intentions: Family Friday’s are days when we sit together, leaving our busy lives, and
converse in conversation usually on the basis of religion and politics, with members of
all ages, from kids to grandparents. “Just Listen”, “Don’t Ask”, “Shh!” “Because I
said so!” “Do it for me” and “It doesn’t matter why” are phrases that I frequently
hear on these days, and have been for the past 17 years. Number one lesson; don’t
bother talking to your family about religion or politics, it never goes anywhere.