Maliheh Afnan

These images, made by hand, whisper. Whisper intimately. John Berger from the foreword Afnan's work reflects on what it means to survive and create within a system that has until now put artists from the Middle East at the periphery of the international art scene, with its emphasis on marketing rather than relevance to contemporary culture. She distances herself from the superficial with her mesmerising layers and mappings of patterns, repeated glyphs and ghostly outlines, which induce an almost trance-like state in the viewer. We are left with a sense of what it means to live in other times, in different places. In essence, Afnan's work is about memory, and her images of eroding traces, faces and places linger long in the memory. Rose Issa from her Preface to this volume. Maliheh Afnan has faith in time - her time. She is one of those contemplative artists who are totally aware of that 'right moment', which she calls 'the moment of grace'. Lutz Becker from his intoduction to this volume.