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Fire by Zarah Hussain

The Handasah exhibition runs until late January at the William Morris Gallery.听 It displays the work of British born Pakistani artist, Zarah Hussain.听 Like William Morris, she鈥檚 a Walthamstow resident.

Morris was one of England鈥檚 most distinguished artists, famous for his decorative designs, patterned fabrics and wallpapers in the 1800鈥檚.

Detail from Peacock

Intricacy and detail.

Zarah鈥檚 work celebrates the roots and essence of Islamic history and culture. The artwork is delicate yet vibrant, using subtle arabesque colours and is put together in a very specific geometrical way. Her work shares the same intricacy and attention to detail as many of Morris鈥檚 pieces.

鈥淚 discovered that William Morris was influenced by Islamic art, so it was really interesting for me being a Muslim artist to find the connection between his ideals and my own themes鈥�, says Zarah Hussain

Their shared location and the cross-over of their artistic styles, makes the building that pays homage to Morris the designer, the perfect venue.

The materials Zarah uses

Test of time.

Morris鈥檚 work has stood the test of time with designs still decorating modern day interiors and architecture.听 Zarah鈥檚 work is of a similar enduring style, with the timelessness of Islamic art infused with energy from the hand-wrought materials she uses.听

鈥淚 have always been fascinated by Islamic pattern. The interlocking geometry with its flowing shapes and stars captured my eyes, mind and heart鈥�

Zarah Hussain says there has always been a shared appreciation of western and eastern art throughout history. She hopes that her exhibition demonstrates a contemporary reinterpretation of how traditional artwork can be combined with what鈥檚 happening now.

First but not the last.

Cllr Geraldine Reardon, who has responsibility for arts and culture on Waltham Forest Council is keen to see the gallery space in the museum used for similar projects in the future.听 She says, 鈥淭his is the first time that Islamic art work has been shown in the same context as William Morris鈥檚 work鈥�. We would like to have more exhibitions, especially focusing on Islamic and Asian Art because a large part of our population comes from those traditions.鈥澨�