Bio b. 1984, Pakistan) is an Inter disciplinary visual artist & educationist, based in Lahore. Graduated from National College of Arts, Lahore with a distinction in painting in 2008. Has a Masters degree in Visual arts from NCA and École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA) Paris, France, from 2010- 2011. She is skilled in oils, acrylics & miniature painting & often expresses her talents through human hair sculptures & video installations. Her work tends to revolve around having two poles, different ideas and personalities living in the same body, conflicting gender, religion, the male power and identity.

Artist Statement | Knowledge of the Ancients

This artwork, structured as a sacred altarpiece, confronts the horrors of genocide, the merciless murders, the demolition of heritage and homes, and the abandonment of cherished objects imbued with familial history, all of which we are witnessing in real time. The visual vocabulary is deeply rooted in symbols and icons referencing Abrahamic religions, the cosmos, the spirit world, flora and fauna, and pain.

Constructed from a repurposed wooden window salvaged from a demolished house in Lahore, this freestanding piece features 12 panels, inviting viewers to walk around and engage with it. The front panel depicts families amid destruction, death, and mutilation. The back panels display symbols of gods, monstrous forces ruling the earth, and the wrath humanity inflicts upon themselves and nature.

The inner panels reveal a hidden paradise, mythical forces and celestials begins Accompanying the altarpiece are vintage and antique objects of adoration collected over the years referencing ritualistic practices specific to South Asia, ritualist symbols, incense burners and an antique Like poetry, these symbols express what cannot be said, deeply rooted in home, history and religion.

Amra Khan
Vanity Boys
Acrylic on canvas
3.6 x 4.6 feet 2020

Amra Khan

To all the Gods I’ve loved before

2024 | Size: Complete Alter :  34 x 43.3 x 3.3 inches  (86.3 x 110 x 8.5 cm), Center panels:  30.2 x 11 inches (76.7 x 27.9 cm) each , Side panels: 28.5 x 11  inches ( 72.3 x 27.9 cm) each

Oil, Acrylic, gold leaf & brass on repurposed Deodar wood