A Conversation with Sara Akhtar: Art and Design in the Ornamental

By Marky Salvati | Images Courtesy of the Artist

 Pool Paati Wood, Fabric

Sara Akhtar is a Pakistani-American painter and designer based in Las Vegas. Her work is retro-spective and acts as a tool in navigating her identities and engaging in social conversation. Akhtar’s work references her Pakistani-American identity through the use of Urdu Script and Ornamental Islamic Art. As both a designer and artist, Akhtar approaches visual art with restraint in imagery and clear visual communicative praxis. 

Akhtar’s Pool Paati sculpture contributes to the Pakistani tradition of Truck Painting. It displays iconography and imagery specific to Akhtar’s personal life. Akhtar explains that its title, Pool Paati, translates to English as Flower Petal but actually refers to the decorative style of painting as seen in Islamic Aniconism. 

When asked about her painting, Sukoon, Akhtar explained the inspiration was primarily drawn from traditions of calligraphy in Islamic Art. “The repetitive act of pattern brings me a lot of peace, and brings me closer to that part of my identity,” she said. Her use of dense florals reference Vegetal Patterns in Islamic art. Her use of calligraphy continues its rich history in Islamic Art. Sukoon in Urdu Script is used similarly as the English word Peace.

Sukoon

Akhtar’s approach to Islamic Ornamentation is an entry point into her distinction between art and design. She explains that art and design “share the same values, [but] art has more soul.” Akhtar’s integration of ornamental art plays well with her emphasis on design and visual literacy. Islamic Ornamentation and its deep-rooted historical and cultural significance, however, is associated with fine arts– placing Akhtar in an art historical context.

Akhtar’s Not Your Average Bass! tackles ideas of gender expression in a succinct fashion. Her skill in design is obvious in these works– with their emphasis on straightforward communication. “I love the idea of taking this very masculine image of a bass hanging on a man's wall, and imposing a feminine aesthetic onto it. I think it makes for an interesting conversation on duality in gender expression,” Akhtar explains. 

 Not Your Average Bass!

Sara Akhtar’s meditative approach to art and design directly reflect her identities and give her a well-rounded perspective. Her compositional restraint allows the principles of design to do heavy lifting in cultivating a complete visual experience– balanced and beautiful. Akhtar’s work is communicative and sits in the perfect space between the decorative and conceptual. 

Check out the rest of Sara Akhtar’s work: sara-akhtar.com

Keep an eye on her Instagram: @saraakhtar.art