The Toledo Museum of Art presents three gallery-sized installations by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha that create awe-inspiring spaces from intricate patterns of light and shadow, evoking the sacred, while also raising questions of exclusion and belonging. Taking the form of a small house, This is Not a Refuge! 2 provokes conversation about the loss of family and land due to displacement and resettlement. Based on the octahedron and tetrahedron geometric shapes, The Greys in Between is inspired by Islamic architectural motifs found in communal spaces like mosques and historic sites. Agha, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, won top honors at ArtPrize 2014, the international art competition held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her ArtPrize entry, Intersections, is the first work to capture both the Public and Juried Grand Prizes and will complete the presentation of Agha’s work in Toledo.

Please note: Visitors with sensitivity to light are cautioned that the artworks in Anila Quayuum Agha: Between Light and Shadow feature bright bulbs. 

Audio: The section of the exhibition that contains the work This is NOT a Refuge! 2 features an audio component. If you would like to listen to the audio in full at your own convenience, stream it at toledomuseum.org/anila-voices.

Sponsors

Anila Quayyum Agha: Between Light and Shadow is sponsored by KeyBank, the TMA Ambassadors, the Ohio Arts Council, Lathrop, and Gross Electric with additional support from 2019 Exhibition Program Sponsor ProMedica.