Imran Qureshi is an artist based in Lahore, Pakistan, who addresses contemporary issues of violence and his country’s histories through both classically inspired miniature painting and contemporary large-scale installations. Born in Hyderabad, Pakistan, in 1972, he is a crucial figure in Pakistani art, and has received the Deutsche Bank Award for Artist of the Year and the ArtNow Lifetime Achievement Award. Trained in the Mughal tradition of detailed miniature painting, Qureshi applies this historical artistic method to contexts of contemporary violence and societal conflict. In his larger canvases and installations, he combines abstract forms reminiscent of blood spatters with detailed, plant-like attributes that harken back to the miniature tradition while speaking to contemporary issues like terrorism, war, mass shootings, and religious conflict.
Qureshi first introduced blood-red paint into his palette following bombings in Lahore as a way to confront violence and death in his work. His 2013-2014 paintings I Want You to Stay With Me employ this blood-like paint in a combination of abstract splatter and vein- or plant-like detail. In past installations of these works, Qureshi has allowed the paint to drip off the canvas and mark the wall and floor, combining his preoccupations with traditional painting on canvas and contemporary, site-specific installation.