“I have long been associated with art, specifically the subject of time and its complexities. My work is deeply inspired by semi realistic surrealism and stylized form of expressionism, often including colours of metallic nature, along with brighter strokes representing my perception of life, this with the hope that my work relates to and touches the lives of those who admire it. The objects in my paintings i.e. pawns, chessboards and chairs, are all symbols for the ultimate game of existence and the endless connections between times past and of future; between places distant, yet so close.”  -  Shazia Salman

Shazia Salman’s art involves a fusion of symbolism and surrealism, as she describes her philosophy using a variety of images created with precision. The artist reminds one that symbols, motifs and patterns were used to communicate messages and meanings before written language existed. In her powerful work, Shazia expresses nature reconstructed with insight, attention to details, and the rich colouration of the images add to the sense of communication. Meanings unfold to the imaginative viewer as the work is explored.

Shazia who has shown her work in group exhibitions throughout Pakistan, since 2005, she has also shown her work to acclaim in international group displays held in Canada, Singapore, and Dubai. Her work may be interpreted on varied levels such as social, psychological or historical, yet the imagery is always a very personal expression of the artist’s imaginative mind; the work of a deeply feeling artist. Shazia Salman’s interplay of colour and images in her work is heightened by the diversely balanced and varied symbolic images. These are paintings that challenge the viewer’s imagination.

Marjorie Husain