Bani Abidi: The Artist Who

Abidi satirizes displays of power and nationalism in multimedia explorations of the geopolitical relationship between India and Pakistan and the history of South Asia

One of Pakistan's most notable contemporary artists, Bani Abidi (born 1971) creates videos and multimedia works that interweave autobiographical fiction with sociopolitical commentary and satire. Her work explores the sobering realities of the political conditions, the bureaucracy and urban infrastructure of Asia, exposing the absurdities emerging from the dysfunctionalities of everyday life. The Artist Who is the first monograph to look at the work of the Berlin-based Pakistani artist. Envisioned as a work by the artist, the publication explores notions of humor, play and experimentation by engaging creatively with forms of writing, design, printing and assembling. Containing documentation of artworks created over two decades as well as archival material and a rich selection of texts, it represents the wide range of relationships that Abidi has fostered during this period.