In Process: Sa'dia Rehman and Moshin Shafi
Opening Reception: Friday December 13th 6-9pm
Gallery hours by appointment through December 28th

Sa'dia Rehman: Baghdad by the Bay
Sa'dia Rehman (b. Queens, NY) will show a wall drawing titled Baghdad by the Bay at The Growlery. The drawing is built by rubbing and erasing charcoal. Lines are hand drawn, stencil-made or traced through projection and are based on imagery from the media, Islamicate and Americana patterns, and neighborhood walks. As here, Rehman's drawing practice is often site responsive and diaristic, drawing on research, collection, and amplification of imagery from U.S. media, Mughal and Islamic art and literary, historical and religious texts.

Moshin Sfhafi: Tottay ٹوٹے
Mohsin Shafi’s anthology for the Open Studio at The Growlery consists of bits and pieces of photographs, videos and text pieces that are currently in process for his various ongoing projects. The visual metaphors deconstruct his narratives of identity that emphasize interconnectivity of tradition, modernity, culture, religion, sexuality and their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression, depression and confusion.

This particular agglomeration titled Tottay ٹوٹے critiques views of ethnicity and identity, some of which focuses on self-imposed exile, during which he forges a hybrid identity. While other visual projections are sarcastic takes on his obstacles as a Desi د یسی , which Shafi encounters often while being outside Pakistan (in this case in the United States of America).

The word Tottay ٹوٹے is used as a slang for pornography in Pakistan. It also refers to x-rated clips that pop up randomly within commercial screenings in b movie film theaters.