Saberah Malik
Beauty Supply
gilding, oil on wood, and shibori silk
About the Work
As the Narragansett tribal genealogist Ella Sekatau narrated, “stones are the bones of the earth.”
I also see stones as evolutionary witnesses of our changing earth; as historical markers of territorial boundaries, whether in the form of stone walls or natural outcroppings; as silent witnesses of all that has gone on before us, or as it is happening in our lifetime – rocks re-arranged during natural upheavals like the Pakistan earthquake of 2005, China’s more recent Sichuan earthquake, or man-made destruction like what the administration referred to as “re-arranging the rocks” in aerial bombardment in Afghanistan.
Stones, rocks, boulders, and pebbles are my everyday companions as I walk or drive through my Cowesett hills neighborhood or any other part of Rhode Island and New England. Stones are an integral and oft-repeating motif of our landscape, and I witness their changing shapes and colors, which transform in shifting weather and the progression of seasons. I see wet stones glisten as silver and gold, softly contoured under overcast skies, sharply delineated in directional light, or seemingly flat in scorching heat.
The evolutionary and ecological, geographic and socio-economic, historical and personal relevance of flowing water resonates in how a shoreline shifts the apex of its curve, broken boulders morph into amorphous shapes, component minerals sparkle with happy hues. Stones, as they define the New England landscape, equally define those of Pakistan, China, or Afghanistan. Stones, indeed are the bones of the earth: global, common, useful, useless, precious, semi-precious, and water is earth’s rhythmic pulse, patiently serving, patiently shaping with resonating relevance.
About the Artist
Saberah Malik grew up in Pakistan and present day Bangladesh.
She studied art and design at the prestigious Panjab University in the ancient and cultural city of Lahore, graduating with a BFA and MFA in Graphic Design. As the best graduate and Gold Medalist, she was awarded the National Merit scholarship for higher education.She chose to study in New York and graduated from Pratt Institute with a Masters degree in Industrial Design.
Saberah settled in Connecticut after her marriage. In order to dedicate time to raising a family she started painting as a creative alternative to professional design. With her two sons away at college, she has been able to devote full time to painting over the past few years. Saberah has participated in invitational as well as many juried shows in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Pakistan, and her work is in several private collections.
She lives and works in Warwick, Rhode Island, which has been her home now for almost three decades.
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