leyla-yousaf profile photo

Leyla Yousaf

Fine Art (BA Hons)

My current practice is focused on notions of otherness (being and non-being) and a dislocated sense of belonging associated with intersectional identities. The immersive nature of my work is influenced by interpersonal narratives, mythology and literature.

idhar nahi, udhar nahi – Something Other

‘Not here, not there – Something Other’

This work stemmed from looking at tea as a ritual, to create a familiar yet unfamiliar domestic space using supposedly disjunct cultural artefacts to expresses the liminality between cultures.

Ephemeral in nature and unbound by a particular culture, the installation aims to evoke mythological and surreal images relating to witchcraft, spiritualism and children’s literature. This is done through the use of suspended objects and through my exploration of a space between ourselves and what we identify as ‘Other’.

Process and Development

Practical techniques that I experimented to develop this work included wood engraving, experimenting with installation composition, analogue and digital photography, video, sound, book binding and paper making processes incorporating spices and tea leaves. There is also an element of ritual I have sought through documenting the intuitive process of this body of work.

← Previous - Eleanor Willis