Workshop led by Amna Walayat as creative producer in residence, Cork County Council, March 2022. Courtesy of the artist
SIRIUS and Create Artist Residency recipient: Amna Walayat
News, Recipients
We are pleased to announce Amna Walayat as the recipient of the SIRIUS and Create Artist Residency Award.
Amna is a Cork-based, Pakistani-born artist examining South Asian identity, drawing from her personal experience as well as past and contemporary narratives of othering. Her practice explores the imagery and techniques of traditional and neo-Indo-Persian miniature painting, expressing her hybrid cultural background and position as a migrant woman. Her recent and current projects include abortion rights in a multicultural context and a response to the theme of citizenship.
Amna comments: “This residency arrives at the right time. I have just taken part in the AIC Scheme Summer School in Cultural Diversity and Collaborative Practice with Create and Counterpoint Arts. Through this residency, I can get a chance to re-evaluate my own practice and further learn how to engage with communities of interest or place, all with tailored mentoring and other support. I also get the benefit of expanding my networks, which helps me broaden the scope of my practice and its sustainability.”
The residency takes place at SIRIUS between 22 September and 18 October, and provides Amna opportunities for professional development, exchange, networking, and learning, with additional curatorial advice from SIRIUS, as well as the opportunity to work with both SIRIUS and Create to explore areas of her practice in an environment of rigorous discussion and critical feedback.
Amna is currently making new work as part of the Platform Commissions for the 40th EVA International opening in 2023. Recently, she was creative producer in residence at Cork County Council and has exhibited her work at MTU Gallery at 46 Grand Parade, Cork, as part of Cork Midsummer Festival, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. She has an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism from University College Cork and an MA in Fine Arts from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. She is a member of Sample-Studios, Cork, and part of Art Nomads. She is a recipient of the Arts Council’s Next Generation Award as well as other grants and awards in Ireland.
