'“For me, it’s very much been multiple places and multiple geographies, multiple histories, all the time,” says Sikander.
Her fascination with the connections between seemingly disparate locales and histories is also at the heart of her latest piece, “3 to 12 Nautical Miles”, the title of which references the shifting boundary between a nation’s coastline and international waters. An animation of hand-painted images, the work will be shown in a loop on the facade of the Hong Kong museum M+ nightly from March 23. It’s the fifth annual joint commission between M+ and Art Basel Hong Kong, which opens a few days later.'
'The nine-minute video is a kaleidoscope of vibrantly hued, intricately detailed images in Sikander’s signature style, which honours and subverts the traditional south and central Asian tradition of miniature painting. The piece opens with a glowing sun-like disc, known as a shamsa in Islamic art. “It’s the idea of light that passes through, which I love, this symbol of illumination,” she says.' – Julie Belcove
Image: Still of Shahzia Sikander, 3 to 12 Nautical Miles, 2026
Co-commissioned by M+ and Art Basel
Courtesy the artist
