Jigar: Films by Alia Syed
Date: 6 June – 8 September 2002
Space: Temporary exhibition space (Gallery 3)

Touring exhibition of four films shot by artist and filmmaker Alia Syed who explores the life of Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities in London and the human relationships.

Started as a painter, Alia Syed turned to film in order to combine image and sound. By focusing on social concerns, issues of representation she makes documentaries about Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities of East London and the emotional relationships between individuals.

Jigar, which is the Urdu word for ‘friend’ or ‘lover’ is Syed’s first solo touring exhibition collecting the work made over the past fifteen years. Swan (1989) is a short, two screen 16mm projection that shows the bird’s preening, revealing the beauty of the beast and hinting at our obsessions. Fatima’s Letter (1994) is a tale told in Urdu shot at London’s Whitechapel tube station. In The Watershed (1995) hands rub a woman’s back in a latently erotic scene. Spoken Diary (2001) tells a tale of two parallel journeys; a woman travels in the dark across London and the city reflects her emotional states.

Jigar: films by Alia Syed is a touring exhibition from The Institute of International Visual Arts (inIVA.)

Artists: Alia Syed

Links:
Art Review