Degree Show 2025: Meet the Graduates – Danish Bashir, Diploma

Introduce yourself and your work. What ideas and themes are important to you?         

My artistic practice, rooted in Mughal miniature painting, explores how displacement alters the nature and interpretation of historical artifacts. I investigate how an object’s context shapes its story.

My work reimagines architectural elements to illustrate this. For example, I recreate Persian Noruz ceramic tiles with a single glaze and altered scale, demonstrating how an artifact’s essence can erode through successive reimaginings; also challenge historical narratives surrounding the Taj Mahal by rendering its inlay in scagliola, directly addressing claims of European inspiration. Furthermore, I present a drawing of a Taj Mahal minaret, questioning how architectural designs are historically documented and perceived.

What materials do you use? Why have you chosen to work with these materials?       

I choose materials to emphasize displacement and historical re-narration. For my ceramic works, I use ready-made biscuit-fired tiles applied matte white glaze, then apply cobalt oxide and black underglaze using syah-qalam rendering of a Persian miniature technique, to conceptually replace the original seven-colored (Haft-rang) glazes.

For the Taj Mahal panel, I use scagliola (oxides, plaster, hide glues) to mimic marble, directly addressing the myth of European influence on its design. My architectural drawing, inspired by Topkapi scrolls, uses three natural pigments, reflecting historical design documentation. Each material is integral to the conceptual narrative of a displaced artifact.

What drew you to the School, and what do you want to remember about these last two years?

I was drawn to the school to explore aesthetics beyond traditionalist postcolonial revivalism, specifically to understand how “othered” art forms are re-integrated. Having a background in traditional art, I sought to examine how the institution embraces and interprets its own local artistic heritage, like stained glass and regional architectural ornamentation. My time here, alongside colleagues, has solidified this fascination. I’m grateful that my initial curiosity for diverse aesthetic values has not just been satisfied, but has grown exponentially, fueling a continuous desire for further exploration.

Professionally, what are your hopes and goals?             

Professionally, I aim to deeply explore 17th-century North Indian architectural ornamentation, meticulously documenting its design and techniques. This includes focusing on parchinkari, pietra dura, and similar artistic practices globally from that era, to understand their nuanced influences on each other. Through this research, I seek to develop my own artistic expression. My goal is to experience, express, and explore the craftsmen’s own artistry, free from the overshadowing influence of their patrons. Ultimately, I hope to “un-neutralize” the naqashi (ornamentation) on these historical buildings, allowing their inherent artistic voice to resonate.