Aqsa Arif
Photo: Neil Hanna
Aqsa Arif is a Scottish-Pakistani artist and filmmaker based in Glasgow. Her work has been exhibited across the UK, including at Edinburgh Printmakers, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, GoMA, Southwark Park Galleries, G39, and Site Gallery. She has undertaken residencies at Cove Park, Street Level Photoworks, Hospitalfield, Jupiter Artland, and The British School at Rome.
In 2022, she was awarded the 20/20 residency by UAL’s Decolonising Arts Institute, resulting in her first solo exhibition Anam Ki Almari (The Trophy Cupboard) and 20 permanent acquisitions across UK public collections. Her film Mountain of Light was acquired by Glasgow Museums and is now on permanent display at the Riverside Museum.
In 2023, Arif received the Platform: Early Career Artist Award and the RSA Morton Award, and was nominated for Jerwood Survey III, touring nationally from 2024–25. Her film Spicy Pink Tea was selected for BAFTA-qualifying festivals, winning Best Dance Film at Aesthetica and earning a nomination for Young Scottish Filmmaker at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2023. It toured nationally with Selected 13, curated by videoclub and FLAMIN, after a nomination by artists shortlisted for the 2022 Film London Jarman Award.
@aqsa.arif.art | www.aqsaarif.com/
Photo: Neil Hanna