Oil bar, saree fabric, coloured pencil on wooden panel
24x30in
2026

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I first began incorporating saree fabric into my artwork during undergrad in 2015 as a way to explore my experience as a Bengali immigrant raised in Canada. While preparing for my first Artist Project in 2026 — Canada’s largest independent art fair — those ideas resurfaced naturally through this piece.

Split explores the feeling of carrying multiple versions of yourself at once. Different identities emerge depending on what life demands, and this work sits in the tension between those shifting states.

The red saree fabric references intimacy, memory, and devotion. In many South Asian cultures, red is associated with marriage, and here it becomes a reflection of my relationship to art itself — a lifelong commitment to making.

Using saree fabric around a male figure also introduces a quiet conversation around masculinity. As a child, being artistic often made me feel disconnected from other boys, especially while moving between cultures and environments. Yet materials like this became central to how I learned to see beauty and express myself. In this piece, the fabric becomes both vulnerability and protection.

Throughout the painting, motifs from the saree are etched back into the surface by hand, layered within a visible grid structure used to transfer the image onto the panel. Architectural distance markings are also embedded throughout the composition, referencing my background in architecture and my fascination with systems, measurement, and repetition.

The faded figure on the right can be seen as an earlier version of myself dissolving into the present — a reminder that identity is never fixed, but constantly reshaped over time.

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This is a 1 of 1 original. No prints of this piece will be made.

The work comes with a certificate of authenticity and ships in a natural oak frame.

If you'd like additional images or to learn more about this piece before acquiring it, email me directly at nashid@nashidchroma.com. If you're located in Toronto, I'm happy to deliver the work and install it in your home.