About

Hajra Waheed’s multidisciplinary practice ranges from painting and drawing to video, sound, sculpture and installation. Amongst other issues, she explores the nexus between security, surveillance and the covert networks of power that structure lives, while also addressing the traumas and alienation of displaced subjects affected by legacies of colonial and state violence. Characterized by a distinct visual language and unique poetic approach, her works often use the ordinary as a means to convey the profound, and landscape as a medium to transpose human struggle and a radical politics of resistance and resilience.

Waheed has participated in exhibitions worldwide including: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2023); Sharjah Biennial 15, Sharjah (2023); CAM St. Louis, Missouri (2023); State of Concept, Athens (2023); PHI Foundation, Montreal (2021); Portikus, Frankfurt (2020); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2020); Lahore Biennial 02, Pakistan (2020); British Museum, London (2019); The Power Plant, Toronto (2019); 57th Venice Biennale, Venice (2017); 11th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea (2016); BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK (2016); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2015); La Biennale de Montréal, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Quebec (2014); Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY (2012) and Antoni Tapies Foundation, Barcelona, ES (2012).

Waheed was recipient of the Sharjah Biennial 15 Prize (2023), Hnatyshyn Foundation Award (2022), Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award (2014) for outstanding achievement as a mid-career artist, and a finalist for the Sobey Art Award (2016). Her works can be found in permanent collections, including: MOMA, New York; British Museum, London; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Art Institute of Chicago; Burger Collection, Zurich/Hong Kong and Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi.

2007 - 11 PhD International & Comparative Education, McGill University (TBC)
2005 - 07 MA Degree, McGill University, Montréal, QC
1998 - 02 BFA Degree, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
1995 - 02 High School Diploma, Emma Willard School, Troy, NY

2025 Hum II, Fragmentos Espacio de Arte y Memoria, Bogota, Columbia
2023 Witness Lines, State of Concept, Athens
2023 Hajra Waheed: A Solo Exhibition, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Missouri, US
2021 Learning to Tremble, Mor Charpentier, Paris
2020 Hum, Portikus, Frankfurt
2019 Hold Everything Dear, The Power Plant, Toronto
2017 Hajra Waheed: Video Installation Project, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montréal
2016 The Cyphers, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
2016 Sea Change - Chapter 1, Character 1: In the Rough, Mosaic Rooms, London
2015 Still Against the Sky, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, London
2015 Asylum In The Sea, Fonderie Darling, Montréal
2013 Minutes From A Second Story, Center A, Vancouver
2013 Field Notes and Other Backstories, Art Gallery of Windsor, Ontario
2013 Sea Change, Experimenter, Kolkata
2012 The Scrapbook Project, Green Cardamom, London

2024 The Elemental You, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi
2024 Visualizing Abolition: Seeing Through Stone, San Jose Museum of Art, California
2024 Genossin Sonne [Comrade Sun], Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna
2024 Take a Breath, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
2024 Ich Sehe Was, Was Du Nicht Siehst, Kunstsaele Berlin, Germany
2023 BuchBasel International Literature Festival, Switzerland
2023 A Convening of Civic Poets, Kadist Foundation, Paris
2023 Wave Phenomena: Contemporary Strategies of Sonic Agency, ISCP New York
2023 O Quilombismo, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, HKW Berlin
2023 Thinking Historically in the Present, Sharjah Biennial 15, Sharjah
2023 Displayed Words - Displaced, CCA Berlin - Centre for Contemporary Arts, Germany
2023 Between the Lines - Writing Mountains, Stewart Hall Art Gallery, Montreal
2022 Sonic Fields of Reflection, Artexte, Montreal
2021 Seen and Unseen, B7L9 Art Station, La Marsa
2021 A Sunless Future? , Mor Charpentier, Paris
2021 Relations: Diaspora and Painting, Esker Foundation, Calgary
2020 Overt: Militarization as Ideology, Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Toronto
2020 Globale Resistance, Centre Pompidou, Paris
2020 Indian Ocean Current: Six Artistic Narratives, McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College
2020 Seismic Movements, Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka
2020 Lahore Biennale 02, Lahore
2019 Pushing Paper: Contemporary Drawing from 1970 to Now, British Museum, London
2019 The Shoreline Dilemma, Toronto Biennial of Art, Toronto
2019 Flap To, Monkey Tot: Works from the Bergmeier Collection, Kunstsaele Berlin, Berlin
2019 Public/Private, 21,39 Jeddah Arts, Al Balad
2019 Developing Historical Negatives, CONTACT Photography Festival, Gallery 44, Toronto
2018 Crude, Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai
2018 Structures of Meaning | Architectures of Perception, Gallery S, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi
2017 Landfall and Departure, Nanaimo Art Gallery, British Columbia
2017 Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie, Farewell Photography, Kunstverein Ludwigshafen
2017 Viva Arte Viva, 57th Venice Biennale, Giardini, Venice
2017 Letters, ATHR Gallery, Jeddah
2017 “Klappe eins, Affe tot…”, Kunstsaele Berlin, Berlin
2016 The Missing One, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, Oslo
2016 Sobey Art Award Exhibition , National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
2016 The Eighth Climate (What Does Art Do?), 11th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju
2016 The Missing One, Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka
2015 Shadow Scenes, ColomboScope, Colombo
2015 Le Polygraphe, Mois de La Photo, Les Territoires, Montréal
2014 La Biennale de Montréal, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
2014 Lines of Control, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University
2014 Equations of Sight-Similarity, On Stellar Rays, New York
2014 The Missing or: One thing next to another, Kunstsaele Berlin, Berlin
2014 Collages: Gesture and Fragments, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
2014 Art Dubai Commissioned Projects, Dubai
2014 Frieze London, Focus Section
2013 Art Basel Switzerland, Features Section
2013 Art Dubai, Dubai
2013 India Art Fair, New Delhi
2012 A Permanent Record For Future Investigation, Green Art Gallery, Dubai
2012 ArtasFoundation: A Tone of Art, HD Centre For Humanitarian Dialogue, Geneva
2012 Come Invest In Us. You’ll Strike Gold, Brot Kunsthalle, Vienna
2012 Lines of Control, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca
2012 India Art Fair, New Delhi
2012 (In) The First Circle, Antoni Tapies Foundation, Barcelona
2011 Changing Stakes, Mercer Union: Center for Contemporary Art, Toronto
2011 ArtHK11: Hong Kong International Art Fair, Hong Kong
2011 Different Abstractions, Green Cardamom, London
2011 Art Dubai, Dubai
2010 Drawn From Life, Drawing Form, Green Cardamom, London
2010 ArtHK10: Hong Kong International Art Fair, Hong Kong
2009 Paper Planes, SAVAC Members Exhibition, VMAC Gallery, Toronto
2009 How Nations Art Made, Bradford Museums, IIkley
2009 Lines of Control, Green Cardamom, London / VM Gallery, Karachi / Third Line Gallery, Dubai
2008 Women With Fire Power, SAVAC @ TIAF, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
2007 Real Mountain: Superfantastic Art Engine Collective, Eva B. Gallery, Montréal
2006 Superfantastic Art Engine Collective, Fabrica, Treviso, Portugal
2005 Remembering Memories, Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Chicago
2003 Kiss, Performance, Around the Coyote, Chicago
2002 BFA Thesis Show, Gallery 2, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
2001 The Magician, (A)rtist (S)paces for (A)rtist (P)rojects, Chicago
2001 Superfantastic Art Engine Collective, Lounge Gallery, Chicago
2000 Test Site, Congress Theatre, Chicago
2000 No Gold Chains , Superfantastic Art Engine Collective, Gallery 1926, Chicago
2000 Be-More, Superfantastic Art Engine Collective, 204 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD
1999 Art Bash, Gallery 2, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

Museum of Modern Art, NEW YORK
British Museum, LONDON
Burger Collection, ZURICH/HONG KONG
National Gallery of Canada, OTTAWA
Devi Art Foundation, NEW DELHI
Centre Pompidou, PARIS
Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, MONTRÉAL
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, NEW YORK
John Jones Collection, LONDON
Gujral Foundation, NEW DELHI
Collection de la Caisse de Depot, MONTRÉAL
Collection Giverny Capital, MONTRÉAL
Samdani Art Foundation, DHAKA
Art Institute of Chicago, CHICAGO

2022 Panelist, 'Remote Control' Symposium, High Line Art & Vera List Center, Feb.
2022 Distinguished Visiting Artist Lecture, University of British Columbia, Feb.
2022 Artist Lecture, South Asia Art Initiative, University of California, Berkeley, Feb.
2022 Exhibition Catalog, 'Hold Everything Dear', The Power Plant, TO
2020 Interview, 'Hum' and Abolitionist Modes of Listening, Reece Cox, Dec.
2020 Radio Interview, 'Hajra Waheed: Listening with Reem Shadid', Radio Al-Ahara, Nov.
2020 Exhibition Review, 'Hajra Waheed and the Hum of Protest,' Frieze, Carina Bukuts, Oct.
2020 Exhibition Catalog, 'RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting', Phi Foundation, Rachel Spence, Oct.
2020 Visiting Faculty, Residency: 'Soft Power', Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Nov.
2020 Cover Feature, 'Collective Cosmologies', ArtAsiaPacific, Issue 120, HG Masters, Sep/Oct.
2020 Exhibition Review, 'Take One: Critical Mass', Canvas Magazine, Nadine Khalil, Jul.
2020 Exhibition Review, 'Cardinal Points', Canvas Magazine, Zohreen Murtaza, Mar.
2020 Exhibition Catalog, Global(e) Resistance, Éditions du Centre Pompidou
2020 Exhibition Review, 'Hajra Waheed', Border Crossings, Issue 153, Earl Miller, Mar.
2020 Exhibition Review, 'Hold Everything Dear', ArtAsiaPacific, Issue 117, Ricky Varghese, Mar/Apr.
2020 Exhibition Catalog, 'Indian Ocean Current: Six Artistic Narratives', McMullen Museum of Art
2020 Publication, 'Between the Sun and the Moon', Lahore Biennial 02, Jan.
2019 Exhibition Review, 'Hajra Waheed | The Power Plant', Artforum, Vol. 58, No. 4, Gabrielle Moser, Dec.
2019 Exhibition Highlight, 'AAP Monthly Picks: September - October', ArtAsiaPacific, Sep.
2019 Artist Talk, Conversation with Nabila Abdel Nabi & Jayne Wilkinson, Toronto Biennial/Canadian Art, Sep.
2019 Artist Feature, 'Constellations', Canadian Art Magazine, Jayne Wilkinson, Sep.
2019 Exhibition Catalog, 'Pushing Paper: Contemporary Drawing from 1970 to Now', British Museum, UK.
2019 Artist Interview, 'The Intimate and the Infinite', NGC Magazine, Shannon Moore, May
2019 Artist Feature, 'Hajra Waheed', esse arts + opinions, Issue 96, Béatrice Cloutier-Trepanier, Printemps
2019 Panelist, 'Developing Historical Negatives', Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, May
2019 Publication, 'RE:Bunkers', University of the Arts, Bremen, Bloomsbury Publishing, Franciska Zolyom, Feb.
2018 Exhibition Essay, 'Crude', Jameel Arts Centre, Murtaza Vali, Nov.
2018 Catalog Feature, Venice Architecture Biennale, National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia, May
2018 Performance, 'Hold Everything Dear', March Meetings 2018, Sharjah Art Foundation, Mar.
2017 Performative Lecture, 'Hold Everything Dear', Asia Contemporary Art Week, New York, Oct.
2017 Artist Lecture, School of Image Arts, Ryerson University, Toronto, Nov.
2017 Artist Talk, 'Conversations in Contemporary Art: Hajra Waheed', Concordia University, Montreal, Oct.
2017 Artist Feature, 'Hajra Waheed Traces a Rising Tide in Venice', Canadian Art, Caoimhe Morgan-Feir, May.
2017 Artist Interview, 'Interview with Hajra Waheed', The White Review, Rebecca Travis, Feb.
2016 Artist Interview, 'Systems of Fragments', IBRAAZ Magazine, Stephanie Bailey, Sep.
2016 Artist Feature, Arts Section, Montreal Gazette, John Pohl, Aug.
2016 Exhibition Review, 'Surveillance and Secrecy', Apollo Magazine, Richard Martin, Apr.
2016 Artist Feature, Arts Section, Financial Times, Rachel Spence, Apr.
2016 Exhibition Highlight, 'In the Frame', The Art Newspaper, Javier Pes, Mar.
2016 Artist Talk, Culture Now Series, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, Mar.
2016 Exhibition Review, 'Hajra Waheed', Corridor8, Dave Pritchard, Feb.
2016 Exhibition Highlight, Art Radar, Carmen Stolfi, Jan.
2016 Artist Talk, Conversation with Professor Steve Graham, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Jan.
2015 Panel Discussion, Art Basel HK Salon Sessions, Mar.
2015 Panel Discussion, Art Basel HK Patrons Talk, Mar.
2015 Exhibition Highlight, Asia Art Pacific Magazine, Mar.
2015 Exhibition Essay, 'Watermarks', Darling Fonderie, Gabby Moser, Jun.
2015 Audio Interview, Art Talks Montreal, Episode Fourteen, Sep.
2015 Artist Talk, Conversation with Natasha Ginwala, KW Berlin, Oct.
2015 Review, 'Bodies Beneath', Drain Magazine, Jayne Wilkinson, Dec.
2014 Review, Canadian Art Magazine, Richard Rhodes, Apr.
2014 Exhibition Highlight, 'Finding Fragments', Harpers Bazaar, Sep.
2014 Review, 'Tale Spin: One to Watch', ELLE, Vatsala Chhibber, Oct.
2014 Review, 'In Search of the Missing', The Hindu, Shailaja Tripathi, Mar.
2014 Review, 'So Much for Stereotypes', Financial Times, Rachel Spence, Feb.
2014 Exhibition Highlight, 'Best Group Shows', Dazed, Jan.
2014 Review, 'Collecting: The Art Market', Financial Times, UK, Feb.
2014 Exhibition Review, 'Sea Change', Experimenter, HG Masters, Jan.
2013 Guest Panelist, Canadian Public Arts Funders, Sep.
2013 Exhibition Highlight, NZZ Swiss, Statements Art Basel, Jun.
2013 Review, Canadian Art Magazine, Jun.
2013 Review, 'Among The Ruins', Times Crest, Culture, Jun.
2013 Review, 'Art Basel Part 1 – Return to the Art(s)', Ocula, Jun.
2013 Exhib Highlight, Experimenter Gallery at Art Basel, ArtINFO, Jun.
2013 Review, The 5th India Art Fair and Parallel Events, Art Agenda, Feb.
2013 Critics Pick & Review, 'An Archive of the Missing', ArtSlant, Feb.
2013 Review, 'Into Something Rich and Strange', Telegraph India, Feb.
2013 Interview, ArtINFO India, Jan.
2012 Publication, 'Lines of Control: Partition As A Productive Space', ed. Ifthikar Dadi & Hammad Nassar, Apr.
2012 Audio Slideshow, 'Middle Eastern Art Stars', The Guardian, Nov.
2012 Artist Talk, The Delfina Foundation, London, UK
2012 Exhibition Catalog, 'Come Invest In Us. You’ll Strike Gold', Vienna
2012 Artist Lecture, Antoni Tapies Foundation, Barcelona
2011 Review, 'Changing Stakes', Canadian Art Magazine, Dec.
2011 Artist Panel, Mercer Union, Center for Contemporary Art, Oct.
2011 Review, 'New Currents: Ghosts In the Lens', ArtAsiaPacific, Jul.
2011 Listing, 'Top Ten London Shows (April)', SAATCHI Online.
2010 Review, 'Foreign Palette: Going Places', Dawn News, Jun.
2010 Lecture, Symposium, White Chapel Gallery, London, Feb.
2010 Publication, 'Drawn From Life: Drawing Form', Green Cardamom
2009 Review, 'Art Mart: A Contemporary Approach', DAWN, Dec.
2009 Review, 'Lines of Control', Frieze Magazine, Eliza Williams, Mar.
2009 Radio Interview, 'Lines of Control', The Strand, BBC News, Feb.
2009 Radio Interview, BSN (British Satellite News), Feb.
2009 Review, Stories of Us and Them, Khaleej Times UAE, Jan.
2009 Review, 'Form and Color of Divided Destinies', Gulf News, Jan.
2007 Keynote Artist Address, McGill University, Faculty of Education, Montreal, QC
2005 Panelist, 'Beauty, Truth and the Making of Art', Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL
2000 Featured Artist, Women’s Caucus for the Arts, Winter, Chicago, IL

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