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I like this picture because the brown/grey bridge really contrasts with the bright graffiti.

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I took this photo on the way to college because the tree looked so beautiful and bright I thought I’d regret not taking a picture. This picture just feels warm and festive.

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Autumn is my favourite time of the year, so I took this photo in October and I edited it to enhance the colours of the leaves.

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I chose this photo because it makes me feel calm. The green/blue sea contrasts with the yellow flowers on the rocks.

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This photo is very bright and colourful. This inspired some of the purple and blue paintings and experiments I did.

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Ideas on a theme for my project and what ‘home’ means to me.

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This collage has manifestations in it. So ‘body’ to manifest to love myself the way I am and my body, ‘future’ to manifest a bright future, ‘see y’ later problems’ to manifest peace in my life and ‘art’ to manifest growth in my art skills and to be able to achieve better outcomes in college.

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This collage represents what is important to me. It says independent at the top, this is because since I’m autistic I struggle with being independent. The eyes remind me of being overwhelmed when there’s too many people or too many loud noises.

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The brain represents when people usually say that someone on the spectrum sees things in ‘black and white’. Sunflowers represent autism so I added a sunflower in.

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Waqas Khan's minimalist drawings resemble webs and celestial expanses. Inspired by patterns of biological organic growth and also by the lives and literature of Sufi poets, his work is a meditation on life, togetherness and the universe. His contemplation is made visible in ink on paper and his work invites our contemplation. Using small dashes and minuscule dots, his large-scale, monochromatic works are composed of either red, blue, white or black ink. In a carefully created installation, the visitor is led around the space from small scale drawings, to a large scale floor based work, to new drawings made especially for Manchester.

I deal with the script of the Sufi poets, the Sufi spirit of synthesis and diversity opens up new potential for understanding. For me, Sufism is a behaviour /meditation which helps me to connect with rest of the world.

Khan is based in Lahore and has recently exhibited at Galeri Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria. His works are in the collections of the British Museum, the V & A, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and the Devi Foundation, New Delhi, India. Khan is represented by Sabrina Amrani gallery.

Please note, we've had a problem with our roof and repairs are due to start at the end of February. Khan's work, Name Me White has been taken down as a precaution, but we hope to be able to re-hang this work as soon as possible.

Reviews

Intricately crafted using millions of pen marks, the Lahore artist's epic, shimmering drawings capture stars, galaxies, mountains and moons. He is worthy of comparisons with Rothko and Mondrian

Jonathan Jones, The Guardian, 27 September 2017

Waqas Khan in conversation with Fareda Khan

Imtiaz Dharker: Zikr

As part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017, poet, artist and documentary filmmaker Imtiaz Dharker responded to solo exhibitions from South Asian artists Neha Choski, Risham Syed, Mehreen Murtaza, Waqas Khan and Hetain Patel. Here's her poem, Zikr.

Image
Waqas Khan Between the palms V (The Breath of the Compassionate) 2016 (detail)
Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

#NewNorthSouth
Find out more about the South Asia art and culture programme 2017-18

Supported by

Exhibition paint kindly supplied by Farrow&Ball

Desolate snowscapes. Dramatic stag hunts. Castle ruins. Tartan cloth. Highland cattle. Are these Victorian stereotypes of Scotland enduring and were they ever a fair representation of the nation?

What brings people together, from protest to partying? What is the use of a crowd?

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Waqas Khan's minimalist drawings resemble webs and celestial expanses. Inspired by patterns of biological organic growth and also by the lives and literature of Sufi poets, his work is a meditation on life, togetherness and the universe. His contemplation is made visible in ink on paper and his work invites our contemplation.

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The Whitworth is home to one of the most significant public collections of Outsider Art in the UK, The Musgrave Kinley Outsider Collection.

It consists of over 1153 individual artworks by over 129 artists, brought together by curator Monika Kinley and gallerist and curator Victor Musgrave over a period of 30 years (1979-2010).

Feeling that most contemporary art was 'bland and supine in the well-crafted chains of its own making', Musgrave and Kinley chose instead to seek out and collect artworks that they felt were genuinely original and intuitive: art that 'tapped into the mains electricity of the imagination'. These are works by so-called 'Outsider artists', strikingly original artworks produced by individuals belonging to no movement or school, who are self-taught and marginalised from the 'mainstream' art world.

Works in the collection include a Henry Darger triptych, Aloïse Corbaz's Palais Rumine, Madge Gill's spiritualist ink drawings, Albert Louden's pastels, Judith Scott's woven sculptures and significant works by Pascal Verbena, Scottie Wilson and Carlo Zinelli.

The collection was gifted to the Whitworth in 2010 by Monika Kinley and the Trustees of the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, facilitated by the Contemporary Art Society. In 2016, funded by an Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund grant, the Whitworth commenced an 18 month project to document, digitise, conserve and re-home the MKOAC. By October 2018 all artworks in the collection will be accessible via the Whitworth's online collections catalogue with images (copyright allowing).

Discover the fascinating works in the MKOAC yourself by searching our collection or subscribing to the Musgrave Kinley Collection Blog.

Please note while many of our exhibitions are made up from works in our permanent collection, the Whitworth does not have works from the MKOAC on permanent display. To view specific works from our collection, contact the relevant member of the curatorial team to book an appointment in our Study centre. http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/collection/research/studycentre/

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Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art | Whitworth Art Gallery

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The Whitworth is home to one of the most significant public collections of Outsider Art in the UK, The Musgrave Kinley Outsider Collection. It consists of over 1153 individual artworks by over 129 artists, brought together by curator Monika Kinley and gallerist and curator Victor Musgrave over a period of 30 years (1979-2010).

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This artist uses collage techniques and mixed media. Has an Instagram page that shows examples of sketchbook pages and building up collages using inks, paints, newspapers. Webpage has example of book making using collaged papers.

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Artist Books It starts with an idea, and then it becomes something else. Pablo Picasso

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collage

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This experiment turned out to look like raindrops on a window which I thought was quite cool.

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This photo is very geometric. The black and white contrasts with the bright photos I have taken.

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I love this photo, because it is so clear it looks peaceful and easy to look at.

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Black and white collage

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This is my cat, Marley. He’s seen me when I’m at my best, he’s also seen me at my worst. When my anxiety’s really bad and I can’t get out of bed Marley will come and cuddle up to me and reassure me. Marley is quite like me in a way. When there’s a lot of people at my house he usually comes and hides in my room. I chose to add this picture into my project because I chose autism as my theme and Marley helps when I’m overwhelmed or upset and he calms me down.

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This piece represents a beach. The blue sky, the colourful reflections on the sea and the bright sun. This was inspired by going to stay with my auntie in Portsmouth with my boyfriend and even though I have so many things to worry about, sitting there on the beach my head was just clear. I also saw dragon flies whilst I was there and they remind me that even the tiniest things in the world are beautiful and colourful and can bring joy.This piece also represents how as a person on the spectrum you need routine and structure to be able to ‘function’. I expressed this in patterns and repetition.

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This piece represents how as a person on the spectrum you need routine and structure to be able to ‘function’. I expressed this in patterns and repetition.

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This piece represents how as a person on the spectrum you need routine and structure to be able to ‘function’. I expressed this in patterns and repetition.
The bright colours show that even if each day might be a bit hectic you can still find routine and pattern.

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Mind map on autism and how it affects my life.

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I added this photo to my project because this experiment was fun but quite messy. As a person on the spectrum I hate mess. I don’t like certain textures and consistencies. However I really enjoyed just ignoring my sensory issues and just covering my hands in paint without thinking about it.