Abeer Kayani
Rose
Silk square scarf 90cm x 90cm
Zamrud
Scarf; silk front with cotton backing 120cm x 20cm
Abeer Kayani is an emerging, award winning Textile designer-maker who takes inspiration from her cultural roots in Pakistan, where she grew up surrounded by luscious prints, embroidery and jewellery. She graduated from UCA Farnham in 2019, launching her first collection of silk scarves in March 2020, which were selected by New Ashgate Gallery for their Rising Stars exhibition.
Abeer works in a highly experimental way using hand dye and screen-printing techniques as well as designing digitally. She received recognition from Society of Dyers and Colourists for quality craftmanship and exceptional use of colour.
The Transition Collection is a series of digitally printed scarves inspired by various handcrafted items such as a handwoven button which travelled with Abeer on a very significant journey from Pakistan. Abeer enjoys working on meaningful projects that bring out stories expressing the relationships that humans form with places and objects. The Transition Collection takes precious objects of sentimental value, translating them into wearable art pieces.
Since graduating from UCA, Abeer has been offered an Artist Residency at the Watts Gallery and was invited as a guest speaker at the Westminster Media Forum 2019 for Arts Council England. She has exhibited with prestigious galleries such as New Ashgate Gallery, Southampton City Art Gallery, Solent Showcase Gallery, Making Matters collective as well as Craft Festival. She is a member Design Nation, Crafts Council Directory, CHAOS Network and Anytime Artisan. Based in Southampton and currently working towards growing her practice, she continues to develop her networks and new relationships.
Instagram: @designedbyabeeer
Transition Collection
Transition collection is inspired by precious objects of sentimental value, translating them into a wearable art piece.
Jewel
Jewel takes colours from stones set inside a ring and explores the relationship between them and the wearer. Jewellery is not just an object, in South Asian culture it is passed down generations and has a sentimental significance.
Intricate pattern work and clever layering techniques result in a design that expresses a unique transition of colour and tone, gracing the silk an iridescent jewel like quality. This pieces is an ever changing form as the colours shift and transform with scale, if viewed closely the design has four colours however seen from a distance the tones merge and birth new forms, like microscopic details on intricate jewellery.
Rose is inspired by the colours and structure in a handwoven fabric used to make buttons. This woven style 'Susi' fabric is native to Pakistan and travelled with Abeer to the UK. It was a static form in a time where life was changing and held significance for Abeer which became cultural and emotional.
Using colour study and layering techniques inspired by her screen printing processes, these elements translated into a wearable piece of art. This luxurious silk reveals the relationship between colour and pattern in a contrast. It is versatile and can be draped and worn in styles emphasizing various colours due to its unique border design.
Rose
Aquatic
Swimming in mesmerising oceanic tones, Aquatic takes its colour inspiration from a set of bangles wrapped in silky blue and golden threads. These bangles travelled with Abeer overseas from Pakistan to the UK and are a metaphor of her journey and growth.
The pattern is used as a tool to collide two exquisite colours- turquoise and a dull gold. This amalgamation births a new colour which is warmer, joyous and more tropical. This union of colour is a representation of an identity brought forth from the experiences pulled from two continents. Abeer likes to describe this as an 'in-between' territory because it expresses a sense of feeling divided yet unified by her past and present experiences.
Wave is an addition to Transition Collection created during the 2020 lockdown. This piece started off with an experimental colour study from the woven threads in a handmade button. It took various influences evolving through seasons.
The artwork was hand painted to test the colours and composition, then colour tested to make sure the dye inks matched the artwork. This piece is reversable with a warmth and intensity that can be turned to create a cooler atmosphere. Echoing an intensity of autumnal hues this piece has a refreshing enthusiasm.
Wave has various cultural influences such as a border design common in traditional south Asian textiles and warm festive colours. Combined with a contemporary approach towards pattern layering as forms merge and blend creating a wide spectrum of colours that evolve throughout the piece.
Wave
Forest
Forest is an addition to Transition Collection created during 2020 lockdown. This piece takes characteristics of a place very dear to Abeer, her homeland Kashmir. Abeer grew up exploring beautiful trees and natural landscapes, observing transformation of season and space. Intrigued by this consistent shift, seasons spoke to her in ways metaphorical; a tale of gradual painful undoing paving towards the re-establishment of something with remarkable magnificence.
She believes nature is our first teacher, repeatedly revealing to us tales of resilience after battling the inevitable. This piece is an evident jumble of colours- revealing both the season of decay and regrowth. The elevating citrus and evergreen vs. the rich earthy brown and rust tones. Two juxtaposing elements that cannot survive without one another. However, united they sum up our will to persevere and carry on, for no season is absolute.
The Forest silk scarf has an optical repetitive pattern that overlaps itself to birth new forms. The base is composed of an earthy brown and rust pattern, which alters as a new layer is introduced. The rust shifts to a citrusy tone- highlighting the connection between Autumn and Spring as they are a season apart, yet a hope away to a striving heart.