Mini Post

When thinking about female artists who identify a cultural, social or political issue, Maria Qamar comes to mind. Qamar was born in Pakistan and later moved to Ontario which would play a huge role in how she depicts the life and times of first generation Indians living in the west. She touches upon patriarchal roles as being a woman as well as the cultural norms of being an Indian woman. 

What I believe plays a huge part in her success is taking everyday phrases of a Pakistani household and uses it in a form of word play. For example, one of her illustrations is of two women kissing and she titles it "st8 like a jalebi." A jalebi is an Indian sweet popular dessert where it is molded into pretzel like shapes that are in fact not straight at all. This is a great example of how she crosses cultural "norms" to create conversation on social issues like sexuality and gender roles. Not only does she talk about these issues but she portrays them in a way where its relatable to her audience and they can envision themselves in these situations. In some cases, she might be an outlet to people who can not express their views to their families because of their cultural "norms." Amongst more of her work, Qamar does a great job of speaking directly to her audience in form of welcoming and inclusion, especially for the women of a South Asian culture. 

Maria Qamar - aka "hatecopy"
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