2016-2017
The opening night at Lotus. We had a line up of people wanting to come see art! it was a blast!
Lotus Cafe was blooming with chitter-chatter and we launched the first-ever Persian library. The library is still available and you can become a member via Lotus Cafe if you are interested in calligraphy, Persian poetry and other arts.
Some of my favourite artists. We collaborated & created from scratch to go with the flow without expectations and look at us now, who knew we would always continue to make art, teach art and play with ideas. You can contact these artists on my Instagram.
I love the underground sculpture gallery called Common Sense Art Gallery, located in Edmonton. I have collaborated with a few of the artists there to help me create pieces in metal or to get advice on how to stay grounded. I recommend seeing the sculptures they create.
Juro Kralovic is always a pleasure to work with. We enjoy exploring new tools to create art and our interest in abstracts has great synergy! I curated a few of our exhibits and some of his solo exhibits at Lotus. Once, a visiting artist from the UK also joined us to help with a show. Juro is still involved in construction work while pursuing his passion for art. I look forward to organizing more shows with him in the future.
I met Eva from the Foundry in Edmonton and we connected on so many levels on how to revive the community with art. She has been a great soul support since then. The new studio space is located in one of the foundry buildings where we hope to create something new and exciting. Eva always had me and my art at the Mixers and I continue to work with her on projects and dreams.
An art class at the foundry for young moms
I love meeting new artists who are determined to create with a purpose. This was a fun collaboration I got to do with Local artist Phil Allan. Phil and his brothers had started to create mosaic murals. I made a little bird in a Tree of life project which was mounted in a school to inspire children to create more. It was a great project with a great opening party. Phil and his brothers continue to create murals and have also opened an art market called Night of Artists in Edmonton where local artists can exhibit. I love going to their art shopping nights at the local mall.
Tree of life mosaic for the school project.
Phil Allan and his brothers.
Another unique artist, another collaboration. I collaborated with Amaury to create art exhibits about peacefulness. He spent lots of time painting at Lotus and developed his art. He and I could not get along as the stress he was experiencing was too much for me to take in. I am not sure if he continues to paint, but I hope so.
Amaury painting out front as another artist came to do studio work. The artist hugging Amaury and Denis. Denis is another artist I had the pleasure of working at Lotus. She continues to paint and work on her art as she ventures around in her RV now. I hope one day to meet her somewhere in the mountains and paint with her again.
Some of the paintings that I was making for my upcoming exhibit at the Louvre with Paks Gallery in Austria. The temporary Louvre exhibit happened in October of 2017 and I was nervous as hell but making art and having a space to exhibit them was a great opportunity which helped me achieve the goals I set forth for myself. I have 5 paintings in a permanent collection at the Paks Gallery in Austria and have been invited to exhibit again at the Louvre's carousel exhibit and other galleries in Paris. Since the start of my new studio in 2024, I aim to work towards those exhibits and many more collaborations locally.
Lotus Cafe Owners have Persian Tea with me. I was born in Pakistan and am often mistaken for a Persian, but Lotus was my first experience with the culture and I enjoyed the very entertaining conversations at tea time during my studio hours. Lotus Cafe now has a second branch, a restaurant on Whyte Avenue called Kabab House. The old Lotus Cafe is being rented out for special events by the owners.
My all time support. Always with me and always ready to help set up, take down or talk out ideas. Though he likes to stay anonymous in the background to all my creative collabs. I had to share his support during those years when I thought I was the only dreamer!