Tehmeena Firdos

Tehmeena explores the dynamics between private-public spaces in relation to how she feels about her own personal space- a space of apparent comfort and freedom. Notions of ‘comfort- discomfort’ and the contradictions they raise become a part of this exploration as she creates visual clashes through image making. She makes use of historical imagery and references which signify their characteristic viewpoints and the politics of her time and space. In order to diverge, she readily employs more recent photographs concerning fashion and politics. Watercolour, paintings on paper, collages and her recent explorations into miniature sculptures, are just some of the mediums she uses comfortably as material explorations are an integral part of her image making process. Her works are a reflection of problems, when disclosed they become general situations she calls ‘popular problems’. Tehmeena’s works are not a direct comment, yet the output proffers certain reactions central to the current ‘popular’ situation.

Tehmeena explains that through this body of work,  she creates a subliminal web within non-dimensional and empty spaces. She is primarily interested in the affectedness and the aftermath of larger, global and seemingly overwhelming personal events. Thus, through this body of work, she attempts to create different levels of associations and transitions from words to non-words, images to invisibilities and demarcated standpoints to a possible limitlessness. 

For the Circle of Life exhibition, she says “my work is romantic and comprehensive of overflowing visual poetries, without any rules and rhyme but with all emotion in control.” It has subtle extreme emotions of cold winter nights and warm summer afternoons which looks normal but at the same time my works are in their own sense at extreme without creating loud action and noise they have a silent voice of extreme circumstances. Life has no rules, it comes and keeps coming like detachment, new emotions and detachment without any trust. Sometimes we’re overwhelmed so comfortably and that anxiety marks you late at night. Overthinking everything that makes it difficult and easy simultaneously.”

Born in Delhi in 1990, Tehmeena Firdos completed her BFA in painting from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi in 2012 and MFA from M.S.U Baroda in 2015. Tehmeena is a very promising Indian contemporary artist and is represented by Art Centrix Space, New Delhi and exhibited her collages, paintings and miniature sculptures at its curated booth at India Art Fair 2020. Her most recent group shows were ‘Interiorities of Individual Entities’ (2021) ‘Con Tempus | With Time’ (2019), both curated by Monica Jain at Art Centrix Space 

in November 2019. Her works were also noticed and appreciated at the Serendipity Art Festival in Goa in 2019. She has been part of several group shows include ‘Words of Her Seeing’ at Conflictorium, Museum of Conflict, Ahmedabad in 2019; ‘Graphic Content’ at Gallery ARK, Vadodara in 2019; ‘Death of Common Sense’ at Gallery White, Vadodara in 2019; Janey Finess at M.F. Husain Art Gallery in 2017; at Meyrick Hall Asian Osmosis, Bournemouth, London in 2015. She has participated in prestigious art residencies 

and workshops such as UTSHA artist for residency Bhubaneswar in 2018; FICA The Moving Image: exploring Light, Movement & Narrative, New Delhi 2017; International residency ‘Experience House’ (Collaborative work with Daniele Bartolini), KHOJ, New Delhi in 2016. She was selected for Peers Share at Khoj, in 2016; The regional Camp in Assam organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, Assam in 2015; Master Class with Orijit Sen (Graphic Novel Illustration), FICA Reading Room in 2015. Tehmeena Firdos has been a part of ‘Harkat’ performance conceptualised by Inder Tickoo, Delhi 2013. She was awarded the 

Nasreen Mohamedi award for best display at MSU, Baroda in 2015.