Imrana Tanveer is a visual artist based in Karachi. Tanveer holds degrees from the National College of Arts, Lahore, and Textile Institute of Pakistan, Karachi. Her work incorporates weaving and textiles, and appropriates iconic images from both Western and Pakistani art and culture to address social and political issues.
She has been awarded the gallery exhibition prize and is one of the 30 finalists of Sovereign Asian Art Prize ’17. She is also the winner of IEAA 2016 awards exhibition in Brussels, Belgium. She has been shortlisted and featured in Golden 15 award category of the reputed International Emerging Artist Award hosted by Sabrina Armani Gallery, Dubai in May 2014. Islamic Art Magazine featured Tanveer 1st solo show in top 10 solo and retrospective exhibitions of 2013. Her work is part of renowned collections of British High Commission office Islamabad, Amin Gulgee Gallery Karachi, Ierimonti Gallery USA, AAN collection to name few.She is currently holding the post of Art Director at Morpheme Studios, and is a visiting Lecturer at Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP) She takes part in our interview series to shed light on more of her psyche.
The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Living fully in the present with my loved ones.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my family
Which living person do you most admire?
My mother . During different stages of my life have met a few admirable people too
What is your greatest extravagance?
None. I’m very practical and conscious of being extravagance
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Preaching at (others) and showing off charity in public
On what occasion do you lie?
Meeting deadlines, that too with loads of apologies. Lol
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Nothing really, but I’m concerned about my weight after the kids.
Which living person do you most despise?
Donald Trump, politicians in general
People who quibble
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Clarity and well-constructed speech
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Honesty and cleanliness
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
‘Like’, ‘No’, ‘Wait’
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My work
Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish to have patience and focus of a Miniaturist.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Overthinking
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
When prayers get answered
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
In my own skin and self
Where would you most like to live?
In Studio Ghibli’s movie.
What is your most treasured possession?
Letters from husband and a glazed rock we picked from the dumps of a renovation site of a mausoleum in Multan. It is around 800 years old.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Dying without any achievement
What is your most marked characteristic?
I am a trustworthy listener
What do you most value in your friends?
Trust
Who are your favorite writers?
Nazir Qabani, Khalil Jibran, Franz Kafka, Orhan Pamuk
Who is your hero of fiction?
Wall-E for being curious and creative
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Don’t know really.
Who are your heroes in real life?
People who rise from ashes and achieve excellence.
What is your motto?
Work, work and work
