Javaria Ahmad: Selected works, 2021-2024

Javaria Ahmad: Selected works, 2021-2024

Finding Cherry Blossoms, 2024

Finding Cherry Blossoms was created during the 2024 summer artist residency in Japan, representing both a physical and metaphorical journey of resilience, gratitude, and quiet self-discovery. Cherry blossoms—long-standing symbols of renewal—bloom alongside archetypal houses and staircases, which have remained central to both daily life and my artistic practice. Since 2008, I’ve built and carved these structures by hand, inspired by childhood fantasies of dollhouses and the enduring labor of women in domestic spheres. Each etched line in the clay becomes a mark of time, capturing the essence of a fleeting moment or an entire century. The staircase, in particular, has become a symbol of the human struggle—an internal ascent toward self-actualization. In this work, a porcelain staircase, built from meticulously cut and assembled slabs, is coated in soft pink and bronze glazes—echoing cherry blossoms, the evening sky, and the rich cultural hues of Japan. The house and staircase together form a quiet architecture of memory, becoming a meditation on perseverance, hope, and the unfolding of new beginnings.

In parallel, Qissa-e Mukhtasir (Urdu for “Tiny Tales”) examines the culturally ingrained concept of the ‘dream house’ as it pertains to South Asian women. Each piece in this body of work is hand-carved and individually formed, paying tribute to the devotion and often-unacknowledged labor of women bound by traditional domestic expectations. While the structures may appear delicate, they speak to a deeper emotional richness and quiet resilience required in homemaking, a role frequently imposed yet deeply nuanced. The work critiques and honors the complexities of domestic life, reflecting on how home, often idealized, can also become a space of confinement, vigilance, and silent strength.

MASHQ (an exercise), 2021-2024

In Pakistan, the institution of marriage is deeply tied to tradition, with arranged marriages still regarded as the most respectable. Many girls and women spend their lives waiting for a suitable match, preparing dowries through embroidery and needlework, often confined to domestic roles from a young age.
MASHQ—an Urdu word meaning “exercise” or “practice”—represents the ongoing devotion of women to homemaking and domesticity. From the layers of hand-rolled porcelain strands to the finely crafted folded porcelain sheets, the meticulous and labor-intensive, repetitive process of these works becomes both a meditative ritual and a symbol of resilience. The hand-held mirror-like porcelain plaques reflect not only a woman’s pride and personal narrative, but also the deeper layers of her identity, self-assurance, and grace. Through its poetic lens, this series manifests the dedication women invest in their roles as stereotypical homemakers. It emphasizes the often-overlooked commitment of women who tirelessly uphold societal norms of labor and struggle, which remain integral to their cultural identity.

Fragments of Home (Memory Boxes), 2022

This series of mid-century household objects is drawn from my memories of watching my mother interact with them. It began as a memory box and later evolved into experimental forms. These coil and slab-built works are a tribute to my mother’s steadfast love and dedication to her prescribed domesticity and the idealized vision of a stereotypical dream house. Evoking nostalgia, I chose to depict the now-diminishing technological appliances of my childhood. Through this work, I seek to honor both the memories and the objects that once defined them.

Captions

• Finding Cherry Blossoms #1, 2024, Glazed Porcelain, 36 x 6”
  Finding Cherry Blossoms #2, 2024, Glazed Stoneware, 16.5 x 16.5 x 9”
  Finding Cherry Blossoms #3, 2024, Slab Bulit Glazed Porcelain, 9.5 x 5 x 5”
  Finding Cherry Blossoms #4, 2024, Slab Built Glazed Porcelain, 6.75 x 5.25 x 5.25”
  Qissa-e Mukhtasir (Tiny Tales), 2024, Hand Carved Porcelain, 20 x 20” (1.5 x 1.5 x 0.25” each)
• MASHQ (an exercise), 2024, Hand Rolled Porcelain Strands, 9 x 5 x 0.25” (each piece)
  Strange How We Decorate Pain, 2024, Unfired Earthenware and Tooth Picks, 21 x 7.5” and 15 x 6”
  Mashq (an exercise) #1, 2023, Slip Cast, Atmospheric Fired 2000 Miniature Porcelain Irons, 96 x 96” (8×8 feet)
  Mashq (an exercise) #2, 2023, Hand Rolled Earthenware Strands, 22 x 0.25”
  The Weight of Wait, 2021, Cone 10 Reduced Fired Porcelain, 60 x 19 x 9” (19 x 9” each)
  Mashq (an exercise) #3, 2023, Cone 10 Residual Salt Fired Porcelain, 10 x 9 x 6.5”
  Mashq (an exercise) #4, 2023, Cone 10 Reduction and Wood Fired Earthenware and Porcelain, 10 x 6 x 5”
  Mashq (an exercise) #5, 2023, Cone 10 Wood Fired Porcelain, 19 x 8”
• Fragments of Home #1, 2022, Earthenware Reduced Fire to Cone 10, 13 x 12 x 5.5”
  Fragments of Home #2, 2022, Earthenware Reduced Fire to Cone 10, 22 x 16.5 x 11”
  Fragments of Home #3, 2022, Earthenware, 20 x 10 x 5.5”