‘Love in the Age of Khadija’ is not your typical love story. In her newest collection of paintings, Mariam Rajput, Award Winning Visual Artist and Arabic Calligraphist, illustrates the romantic concepts of a life filled with passion, drive, and the perceptions of what makes a modern Muslim woman. Her paintings are filled with intimate reflections of feminine identity in Islam, her own identity as an artist, and the beauty of relationships rooted in joy. Rajput’s work has continuously negotiated a subliminally indulgent truce between graceful arches of Arabic calligraphy and abstract design. With her latest series works, “The Dark for Light Series” (2021) selling out after 2 days of public release in August, Rajput has established herself as a sought-after contemporary artist in the art scene worldwide.
Over the past few years, Rajput has earned a devoted following. With her formal education centering around professional training towards her PhD in Psychology, Rajput’s talents as an artist are self taught and driven by a passion for creative expression. Her immersive style of painting set the foundations of how she built her art practice; through contemplative break downs of religious texts and their reformation as poignant conceptual art pieces. Rajput’s paintings have the feel of an abstract landscape but carry the message of an emotional revolution. From layers of pure 24k gold, to purposeful deep hues of blue, each piece is uniquely full of religious identity and powerful Islamic designs – sending messages symbolic to the nature of the sign of the times.
In an era of feminine awakening, Rajput takes a contemplative approach to a woman’s identity and strength in Islam; her newest collection of paintings defies the stereotypes that are circulating today. Rajput’s work delves into the beauty and purpose defined by the first wife of Prophet Muhammed (Peace be Upon him), Khadija bint Khuwaylid.
“I didn’t want to focus on arguments against invalid stereotypes,” Rajput said during a recent visit to her studio in Manhattan, New York. “Instead I decided to center my work around the first woman to embrace Islam, and the beauty of the relationships she sustained in her lifetime. It’s not a foreign notion, feminism in Islam, the narrative has just been pulled away from Muslim women for far too long.” Although her subject matter is predominantly religious in nature, Rajput provides a sensitive exploration of the modern feminine with delicate brush strokes and creative abstraction designed to invite open dialogue and exploration.
Painting “Alhambra”
Rajput’s art form is very intimate. She brings her work to life with painterly brush strokes and combines elements of religion and poetry within the framework of a modern perspective. Her paintings range from large-scale Islamic art designed to be the centerpiece of a room, to miniature impressionistic landscapes alluding to a contemplative moment lost in time. Rajput uses her own identity as an American Muslim woman to provide a global visual language that sends messages of emotional intelligence.
A sneak peek into Rajput’s painting, “Alhambra”, presents a romantic combination of bold color palettes and Arabic calligraphy. Written on a canvas immersed in peach toned hues, Rajput creates a chaotic rhythm of illuminated floral motifs pulled from manuscripts and ancient texts dating back to the 13th century in modern day Iran. Her usage of Maghrebi script, a form of Arabic calligraphy predating the modern Arabic language, emboldens a traditional perspective while providing contrast to a bright and vibrant aesthetic.
Through this depiction of exaggerated feminine design and elaborate floral motifs, Rajput attempts to combat the anonymity of female lives. As a whole her painting appears to be similar to an Illuminated Manuscript or page of the Quran; however, the beauty of this painting is found in the details. From hand brushed 24k gold ink, to pastel flowers layered with gouache and watercolor pigments, her artwork seeks to sustain the similarities between our experiences as women and the details that make us who we are.
“It’s a message that you don’t have to be Muslim to understand” Rajput said, “that a woman’s narrative or worth isn’t defined by how she is viewed from afar, but rather the beauty of the details that make us whole. I hope these paintings uplift the viewer to understand the power of their own choice and the depth of that power we’ve had all along.”
Rajput’s commitment to uplifting the female narrative is carried beyond her artwork with her contributions to community and charitable giving. Rajput has donated numerous sought-after paintings to charity auctions in support of women’s rights, funds for shelters that harbor victims of domestic violence and women’s literacy organizations in middle eastern countries. In recent years her artwork has seen the auction floor of organizations like CAIR, Islamic Relief USA and The Red Cross, leading Rajput to be recognized with the Woman UP! Award in Pennsylvania (U.S) in 2018.
“To view Mariam’s artwork is to see the convergence of design and faith in real time”, tells Ahmed Chaudhry, Founder and President of Muslim City Fest in Philadelphia (U.S). “So many aspects of Islam are distorted by social media Imams or individuals looking to accumulate wealth and control; anyone defying those narratives are actively shut down and dismissed which is why the work done by Artists like Mariam is so important. There could not be a more feminist religion than Islam and her paintings eloquently tell that story.”
The Painting Waitlists
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Rajput came to the US as a baby and settled in New York City with her parents and siblings. Her natural abilities with a paintbrush are hardly overshadowed by her love of creative expression.
“Oh I’ve done it all” Rajput said, “I was a homebody growing up and had strict parents, so the sky was the limit when it came to doing things at home. I play the piano and guitar, spent my summers in high school horseback riding and teaching myself calligraphy– I’ve learned the art of traditional Khattak dance, speak 4 languages and can make a mean baklava. My parents supported me through all of my hobby phases growing up, but my real passion has always been in visual art.”
Rajput settled on releasing a stream of Islamic art through her yearly collective after the explosive sale of her 2017 collection. Harboring attention from private buyers worldwide, Rajput’s paintings have reeled in six-figure sales and generated a prominent waitlist for her unreleased works. Art buyers currently on this waitlist include luxury interior design companies, private businesses and international royal families. Now, 4 years into her annual releases, Rajput describes her relationship with her audience as a ‘fever dream.’
“It’s been everything I’ve asked for and more. I feel blessed to have such a large group of art lovers that keep me painting. I don’t know what I would do without them.” said Rajput. Her 2021 collection titled “Love in the Age of Khadija”, is scheduled to be released in the first week of December. To join the waitlist for bidding in this private release of Rajput’s original artwork, interested buyers are encouraged to sign up with their email on her website’s home page.
About Mariam Rajput
Mariam is an Award Winning Visual Artist and Arabic calligraphist working out of her home studio in New York City (U.S). Her paintings dwell in homes and collections internationally, spread across 6 continents. To view Mariam’s available artwork visit her website www.mariamrajput.com
