Saima Khan is one of those people who turn out to be good at whatever she tries her hand at.
A final year student in a business school, she runs an art page called WanderArt, and also participates in various competitions and tournaments.
We talked to her recently about her endeavors, gaining a window into her perspective about art (and life in general).
Could you say a few words about yourself?
A final year student of IBA, University of Dhaka, I am majoring in finance with a minor in economics. I’ve spent my university years participating in business competitions and debate tournaments, both of which have played a great role in shaping who I am.
I find art to be my only way of survival as it helps me lay down my thoughts and feel lighter with every brush stroke. I feel that it’s only through art that we can reach the minds of people across all cultures for art speaks a language everyone understands. In my spare time, I love to read books and occasionally attempt to write novels I never seem to finish. To me, the only activity parallel to painting is perhaps traveling, so if you don’t find me near the easel, I’m perhaps looking up exotic places to add to my bucket list, from which I’ve just ticked off thirteen countries and can’t wait for more.
You dabble in a lot of things. How do you manage time for all that?
I feel dabbling in a lot of things has more to do with willingness than time. While it’s true that life is getting busier by the minute, I constantly feel the need to push myself to do everything that is possible within the finite time we have. People might think that I’m perhaps working all the time but in fact, I still manage to find enough free time to reread all of Harry Potter multiple times and that’s saying something. Sometimes it does get a bit difficult but at the end of the day it’s just about allocating your time according to priorities and kicking yourself to do as much as possible.
I wanted to talk to you about your art. Could you tell me how you got started?
I’ve always loved art. I was six when I first learned how to draw an apple perfectly, but I’ve never had any technical knowledge apart from what they teach in art classes at school. I started taking art seriously after my A levels when I had a long vacation, and it sort of started from there. As I’m studying business which has absolutely nothing to do with art, sticking to art even in my university years helped me cope with a lot of things and to an extent, it also defined me as a person.
You have had experience with exhibitions and competitions. How have those gone?
I had my first solo exhibition in 2017 at Alliance Francaise, Dhaka, where my portfolio was selected and I could do the exhibition entirely free of cost. I later had my art exhibited at Shilpokola, The National Art Gallery, in 2018 and EMK Center in 2018 and 2019.
I have participated in a few competitions which primarily focus on social welfare, two of which are the UNICEF WASH Challenge and Telenor Youth Forum. My team emerged as a finalist in the WASH Innovation Challenge, which took place in Bhutan in 2018. I was also the winner of Telenor Youth Forum 2018, which provided me with a life changing experience of working with other TYF delegates from around the world, and also offered me an invitation to the Nobel Peace Ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
We talked about some of her favorite pieces, and how she came to start WanderArt, which later morphed into a business venture of its own. She also talked about her debate journey and writing.
Could you tell us about some of your favourite pieces?
(i)With Love, Inferno: I’ve always wanted to merge painting and writing, and there couldn’t have been a better way to do so. I wasn’t really thinking much while doing this art, but the only way I perceive this is that time slowly burns away the memories we have. The papers below are burnt letters, diary entries and telegrams (they were written and burnt for this purpose), which get burnt with time represented by the clock above.
(ii) Sanctuary: The window at the corner is a respite from all the hurdles of the world depicted the grey canvas.
(iii) Breaking free: Women in our society, and in the world, are held back by not only blatant misogyny but also subtle judgments about almost everything they do. If only these women had the chance to break free of these restraints, the world could have been so much more colourful. This artwork depicts a lot of ideas, all of which are interrelated. Nevertheless, all the interpretations root from the single idea of restrained women struggling to break free.
Could you tell us a bit about WanderArt?
WanderArt is an art page that I started in 2016.
It started off as a platform where I showcased my artworks. However, now WanderArt is a venture that has two distinct branches. Through WanderArt, I do commission artworks and help put people’s thoughts on canvas. At the same time, through WanderArt I sell handmade notebooks and bookmarks online as well as at stalls during meetups. It’s a venture that is incredibly close to my heart and I wish to keep it alive as long as possible, taking it to new heights at every opportunity.
Could you tell us a bit about your debate journey so far?
I started debating in my sophomore year and it has been a nerve wrecking but amazing experience all the same. I have learned an immense amount and have also emerged as a better person as debate made me look at things from different perspectives, an attribute I believe everyone should aspire to have. I have always had trouble speaking when I was a kid, but debate made me get over that fear and I will forever be grateful to the sport. I have had the privilege to meet few of the most wonderful people from the debate circuit, which by the way has taken Bangladesh to exceptionally new heights over the last few years.
You also write a lot. A bit about that?
Ans: I would say painting and writing are my ways of escaping from the ever gloomy reality. I do write a lot in my free time and have had the privilege to have been published multiple times in newspapers and the Six Seasons Review, a literary publication featuring South Asian writers and poets. I’m currently writing a few short stories and working on a manuscript which I end up only showing to my friends because I haven’t quite mustered enough courage to show to the world.
There’s also the added pressure of undergrad studies. How do you manage the workload?
Final year is tough. Juggling finance, economics along with extra curricular is excruciatingly tough, especially during midterms and finals, and ironically that is when most competitions take place. Then again, as I said, it’s always about pushing yourself to do as much as possible. I believe as long as you have the drive, anything is possible. I have had nights when I had to paint twenty notebooks with a high temperature and wake up early morning to attend my WanderArt stall all day, followed by working on a competition and studying for a test the next day. While all of it seems physically impossible, you will be surprised at how easy it seems when you do it all with grit and passion.
Let’s talk a little about your TYF experience. What were your projects in the Bangladesh and international rounds? How did the Norway experience go?
In one word, the TYF experience had been life-changing. For the Bangladesh rounds, I worked with farmers and making their lives easier. For the global rounds, my team consisted of members from Sweden, Myanmar and Pakistan, and we worked on ensuring safe water with our project Paanigar. We were given five months to work on our project and in this time period, we have researched thoroughly on the water needs of people, especially in Bangladesh and Pakistan. We do hope we continue working on it although it’s a tad bit difficult when you have founders scattered all over the world.
Thanks to TYF, I was invited to the Nobel Peace Ceremony and have had the privilege to listen to Denise Mukwege and Nadia Murad. It has been six months and I still can’t quite get used to the fact that I have actually seen the Nobel Peace laureates in person.
Your overall body of work is pretty impressive. Do you feel the need to outdo yourself?
All the time. I frankly believe that every day I should be better than I was yesterday. While it may seem like a lot of work, as clichéd as it sounds it really isn’t work when you love what you’re doing. My body of work consists of social competitions, art exhibitions and literary publications, all of which I am immensely passionate about.
What are your future plans?
Quite clueless on that front, but I know for a fact everything falls into place. I do have a bucket list of life though that I wish to fulfill, and five important goals from there would be to study abroad, contribute to the Bangladesh art scenario, have a novel published, get a job that I love and travel to as many places as possible.
Something you want to tell young women?
No matter what people say about Bangladesh becoming advanced and progressive, with all due respect to how far we have come as a nation, women still have to deal with curfews from home and think twice before setting out for something, be it an interview at an organization or establishing your own startup. I have had my fair share of struggles, but at a point you will realise that everything you love is worth a shot and just maybe you can overcome the struggles if you try hard enough. So that’s what I did and that’s what keeps me going.