His compositions come together through an organic accumulation of thought fragments in the three languages that inform his identity: English, the language of his adopted home; Bengali, the language of his homeland; and Arabic, the language of his religion. Here, these messages peek through abstract passages of interwoven paint. In Our Colors Make Us Beautiful, Zaman explores the possibilities of verbal and visual expression to bring about mutual understanding and empathy among people from diverse walks of life.
Muhammad Zaman's Our Colors Make Us Beautiful, 2018, at 1131 Broadway. Photograph by Jeff Mace.
AK Public Art Spotlight: Muhammad Zaman's Our Colors Make Us Beautiful
October 29, 2018
Buried in the layers of calligraphic forms at the center of this mural is its poetic title: Our Colors Make Us Beautiful. Artist Muhammad Zaman’s wide-ranging projects— from works on paper and paintings to this mural, his largest work to date—are all grounded in language.
Muhammad Zaman’s Our Colors Make Us Beautiful, 2018, in progress at 1131 Broadway in Buffalo. Photograph courtesy the artist.
Muhammad Zaman’s Our Colors Make Us Beautiful, 2018, in progress at 1131 Broadway in Buffalo. Photograph courtesy the artist.
