STANDARDS

CCSS: 7.G.B.6

TEKS: 7.9D

Illuminating Shapes

Anila Quayyum Agha (b. 1965), All the Flowers Are for Me (Red), laser-cut lacquered steel and lightbulb, Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art, 2017.7. 

This sculpture lights up the room—literally. Anila Quayyum Agha is a Pakistani-American artist who uses a laser to cut intricate designs into wood, paper, and steel. After assembling these panels into cubes, pyramids, and octahedrons (3-D shape with eight faces), she hangs a single light bulb in the center of each sculpture. Shadows and light splash the room. The repeating patterns are inspired by Islamic designs and Agha’s life.

Agha uses her art to address social justice, global politics, and gender issues. When people look at her work, Agha says, “I want them to feel what their lives are about. I want them to think that there’s value in every culture and human being.”

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