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FLORALS

Possibilities – As abundant as air, always present for us to notice; life’s sweetest rewards

Completed at an art retreat at the home of Gorden Harrison – Pine Point Lake, Quebec. Exhibited as part of Manotick Gallery's Vernissage Winter Wonderland - December 1 & 2, 2018

LANDSCAPE

"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars” - OG Mandino

The painting is dedicated to the outstanding career of neurologist Dr. Zahir Dhalla as he embarks upon his next chapter of life. It represents the enduring spirit of discovery that accompanies every phase of life's journey. The design symbolizes the vastness of the brain, each neuron, like a star, emitting its own potential, connecting in a complex tapestry to form our ability to perceive all that is around us and contemplate what is beyond perception.

The artist captures the night sky with deep blues and ethereal and iridescent hues. The viewer is invited to contemplate the infinite expanse of the universe, where each twinkling star holds a story; to lose themselves in the wonder and tranquility that envelops us as we gaze at the cosmic dance that unfolds above. Dream boldly and embrace the magic of the cosmos!

The piece is painted in an impressionistic style with the colours representing the fall season overlooking the Ottawa River and the Constance Bay area.

As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, "The only constant is change." The fall season reminds us that our bodies, minds, and surroundings are always developing. It focuses on the impermanence of life, emphasizing how vital it is to embrace the present. By doing so, we can savour what we have before it is gone.

Private Collection

Completed at a art retreat at the home of Gorden Harrison – Pine Point Lake, Quebec.

Completed at an art retreat at the home of Gorden Harrison – Pine Point Lake, Quebec.

WOMEN

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ~ Maya Angelou ~

Figure of a woman carrying new life, complemented by butterflies to represent the chrysalis from which she emerges. The morphing of colours highlights her depth and complexity as she steps out into the world from her iridescent shadow, where she can be seen and heard. She is brave in the arena, with power, strength and agency. She has the courage to stand alone, to let go of fear in favour of faith.

“Lord our God, hear my prayer, the prayer of my heart. Bless the largeness inside me, no matter how I fear it. Bless my reed pens and my inks. Bless the words I write. May they be beautiful in your sight. May they be visible to eyes not yet born. When I am dust, sing these words over my bones: she was a voice.” - Sue Monk Kidd, “The Book of Longings”

In the art piece, Buddha is represented in feminine form, highlighting the natural maternal spirit. The three turtles, symbols drawn from a Buddhist sutra, search for spiritual enlightenment. The depth of water contrasting with iridescence represents the unseen and the light we seek. As a new birth is taken, the child enters this world, just as butterflies emerge from their chrysalis, letting go of attachments to seek Nirvana.

The artwork is inspired using “identify and self” as a creative prompt. In this self-portrait, the artist integrates paint with paper to explore her own identity through the lenses of vulnerability and resilience. Inner conflict is revealed in the indistinct face, which combines multiple, layered hues with photos of the artist at various stages of her life. The distortion captures multiple roles – daughter, sister, student, wife, professional, mother, patient, and leader, all eclipsing the artist within. Pain is expressed through the figure, with various remedies superimposed. The artist invites the viewer to experience the undefended, fearful ego and to find courage in the face of adversity. The painting invites the viewer to experience the interplay of light and colour which represents the space between the viewer and the artist. In this painting, the artist is ready for the world to see her authentic and imperfect self through her own self-acceptance.

A flower is at once delicate and complex, beautiful and intelligent, vulnerable and resilient. A concentric flower, constructed from protective layers subconsciously finds itself at the solar plexus chakra, the seat of the self. Flow emanates from the power of freedom, choice, authenticity, and energy. Its centre offers a portal into the artist’s soul. The world can only know the artist through her artwork. Each brushstroke, each layer reveals a facet of her personality. Through faith, healing, perseverance, passion and grit, the suppressed self finds hope and strives to emerge.

MURALS

This collaborative mural was crafted by thirty-six families from the Ottawa and Kingston Shia Ismaili Muslim community. Designed and assembled by local artists, the mural is inspired by a Ginan (religious hymn) entitled Uncha Re Kot Bahu Vechana by Pir Hasan Kabir al-Din.

The Ginan alludes to the struggles of a fish separated from its beloved. This struggle is an inherent and necessary part of its life journey and purpose. Similarly, the murīd (religious seeker) must engage in both an internal spiritual and external worldly search to return to the Creator. This piece honours the Canadian Shia Ismaili Muslim community, which has demonstrated generations of resilience, strength, and courage to overcome adversity and establish their identity across lands and throughout history.

The mural is comprised of eighteen different materials, which represents the multiple generations of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community and their close relationships with one another. The wood-crafted fish, decorated by primary school children in luminescent gold, represents the soul within each murīd that reflects the light of Allah. Children are represented by paper, which is adaptable and can take multiple shapes and forms. Young adults are represented by ribbon, which is flexible and ties other materials together. Adults are represented by rope which, when intertwined with other individual strands, has remarkable tensile strength. Seniors are represented by wool, a material that can weather all conditions and provides both warmth and comfort. These various materials come together to form the stream in which the fish embark on their journey.

The mural was gifted to the Multigenerational Housing Projects in Canada, dedicated to the Late Shia Ismaili Council for Ottawa President Karim Aziz Gwaduri (1976-2020) – a remarkable community leader, mentor, and friend.

This mural was designed as a collage to be completed by the Canadian Jamat at its inaugural National Jubilee Arts Festival. It aspires for the Ismaili Muslim community to come together on a single piece to express our gratitude for each moment that the community has been under the leadership of the current Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan.

The materials for the mural were prepared by artists of different generations, cultures and linguistic traditions who participated in a night of intergenerational social crafting. Inspired by Manuel Cargaleiro’s work at The Ismaili Centre, Lisbon, the mosaic’s colours reflect the diversity of ages, genders, orientations, cultures and artistic visions that strengthen the community.

The scene is a Canadian landscape during the transition of seasons. In many Indigenous Canadian traditions, it is said that the Creator lights the night sky and provides a North Star for the traveller to find direction. In this nighttime piece, the source of all light is not seen directly but reflected to the Earth by the moon and the stars. The brightest of those stars, representing the Imam of the Time, guides the way to the destination.

A community of trees has grown from the provisions of the Creator - light, nutrients and the flow of water. Each tree began with its roots firmly established, as each community on Earth began with its prophetic tradition. As with humanity, though the forest has common elements, every tree achieves uniqueness as it diversifies according to its exposures, which is reflected in the chosen materials. If nurtured well, it grows into a healthy being that provides its shelter, its nourishment and, indeed, its intelligence and beauty to the world around it. Snow and cold, a prominent part of Canada’s landscape, remind us of resilience - growth despite adversity; or perhaps because of it. The artists have chosen snowflakes that sparkle, reminding us that we are accompanied by the glimmer of our ancestors’ spirit.

The river was inspired by His Highness the Aga Khan’s words at the opening ceremony of the new headquarter of the Global Centre for Pluralism on 16th May 2017: “Water, after all, has been seen, down through the ages, as the great source of life...the Ottawa River represents a powerful connection to other places, nearby and far away. Throughout the history of Canada, the Ottawa River has been a meeting place for diverse peoples, originally the First Nations, and then the British and the French, and, more recently, Canadians from many different backgrounds. It symbolizes the spirit of connection.“

Finally, the maple leaf is the quintessential symbol of Canada and reminds us of the Imamat’s strong ties to Canada. Each of the sixty leaves is a blessing, as is every moment of His Highness the Aga Khan’s sixty years of Imamat.

Photo: Barakah/Malik Merchant

Permanently installed at the Ismaili Jamatkhana Ottawa

"A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lao Tzu). This mosaic, inspired by Manuel Cargaleiro’s mural at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon, was designed to be completed by the Ottawa Ismaili community uniting in celebration of the 2018 Jubilee Arts Festival. The artists who developed this piece represent different generations and cultures coming together in an exercise of pluralistic input. The variety of materials were chosen to reflect the diversity of ages, genders, orientations, cultures, languages and artistic visions that strengthen the community. Themes of nature including red, green and yellow leaves are reminiscent of the Canadian landscape and pay tribute to the country’s Indigenous peoples, whose spirituality is strongly linked to the natural environment. Juxtaposed is the path, inter-stepped with silvers, greys and purples, representing the era of modern technology. Rather than a barrier, we use technology as an aid to our devotional practice along the journey of life. The central visual is designed as a halo emitting rays of light guiding humankind toward clarity, reason, and knowledge. On this guided journey, we are one Jamat (community) walking together towards enlightenment, leaving a legacy of improving the lives of those around us. The mural reminds us to “follow your soul - it knows the way”.

Copyright © 2025 Narmin Kassam. All rights reserved

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