Unaiza Ismail: creating stories that excite our minds

It's impressive how a single story can inspire such diversity through different mediums! Visual artists from around the world are taking part in WHISTLE project, in an attempt to present a multi-sensory experience never attempted before in the Greek visual art scene. And that's because we do not think of visual art as an experience that when viewed fades away, but as an excuse, a triggering event, a reason to produce an artistic conversation and a literal dialogue with everyone interested. This is the way we feel visual art should work.

In this short article we introduce you, to the work of Unaiza Ismail, a talented visual artist from Pakistan.



Why did you decide to take part to WHISTLE project?
I was intrigued by WHISTLE's innovative character. This international collection of images and ideas towards one context really got me interested. We all come from different social backgrounds and cultures, as people. We carry all sorts of taboos and superstition beliefs and seeing how this translates into pieces of art is just very interesting.


What was your workflow?
I never work on one medium only. This was never a priority for me. I often times enjoy working on stop motion videos. This is what I chose to do for WHISTLE project. I worked on single images that could fit the story and the idea of superstition, in the best way. I tried to create mystery, intrigued the viewer to be curious, to ask questions and wonder about the subject of the story. I would say that these videos are surreal and heavily influenced by the mid 20s film noirs.



Artistic styles, influences?
I have always been interested in peoples reactions towards social norms and values within our society. Working in linear imagery has always kept my interest. Whether it’s an installation, a stop motion video or illustrative drawings, I always want to develop a comprehensive cultural critique on social matters.

Do you believe in superstitions?
No, not at all! To me superstitions are just stories that excite our minds. They are created by people to mock or stimulate our daily monotonous lives!



What do you want people to see in your works?
I just want them to see the story, the narrative. Also spark their curiosity to try to find the hidden message.

Why attend the exhibition?
Collaborative projects like that always attract diverse audiences. This is always an exciting thing that brings up something new in each one of us. All people that will visit the exhibition, will have the opportunity to be part of this diverse community and witness what we have created, first hand. In addition, any artist who is interested in cinema, the genre of thriller/fantasy/noir and visual storytelling in general should also attend this exhibition.


All the works created for WHISTLE project by Unaiza, will be available to the public during the transmedia exhibition.

Unaiza Ismail is a visual artist from Lahore, Pakistan. She lives and works in the UAE. Unaiza completed her Masters in Visual arts in 2017 (with Honors) from National college of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan. In 2013, she acquired her Bachelor’s degree in Fine arts (with Honors) from University of Sharjah, UAE. She has worked for numerous art fairs, one of the renowned are Art Dubai, Sikkah, Sharjah Biennale. She has also delivered few art workshops at SAF summer school and Sharjah girl’s guide as an art instructor. She has presented paper for THAAP international conference and has published paper. Unaiza is interested in reaction towards social norms and values within society and developing a comprehensive cultural critique within society. She has also participated in many group shows within Pakistan and UAE since 2009.

Find Unaiza Ismail at INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK