Sarah K. Khan’s showcase at BRIC intertwines various mediums such as ceramics, printmaking, video, digital animation, and text, exploring themes of colonial history, global migration, maritime trade, food cultures, map-making, rebellious women across African, Arab, and Asian societies, contemporary diasporas, and more. This ambitious scope is partly due to the interconnected nature of these concepts, each leading into the next.
A collection of linocuts entitled Undisciplined Pleasures, Vigilant Defiance draws inspiration from a 15th-century Persian manuscript, Kitab Ni’matnama-i Nashirshahi (Nasir Shah’s Book of Delights), which catalogs the exquisite cuisine enjoyed by the Sultan of Malwa’s court in what is now northwest India. Originating before the Mughal Empire, this manuscript highlights a vibrant cultural exchange stretching from Africa to West, Central, and South Asia, well ahead of European colonial endeavors—making it a fitting tribute to the enduring narratives of immigration and cultural fusion.
Khan reimagines the original illustrations by omitting the figures of men being served and instead highlighting the women serving them. She interweaves historical icons such as Queen Bilqis (the Queen of Sheba), Razia Sultan (a female monarch in 13th-century Delhi), Weyzero Abebach (an Ethiopian who fought against Italian fascism in the 1930s), pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt, and Iranian graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi into her prints. Surrounding these prints are a variety of porcelain objects: Lugers, swords, scimitars, rolling pins, and a cup of pencils—devices of destruction and creativity, often intertwined.
Central to the exhibit is a display of porcelain serving dishes reminiscent of blue and white ceramics that have been admired across Western, Central, and South Asia since the 9th century. These dishes, along with other vivid vessels, illustrate spices traded along the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea coasts (nutmeg, cloves, pepper, etc.), with their names presented in multiple languages, thereby challenging the Eurocentric associations of their modern names. Complementing this theme, a tiled backdrop portrays three dhows navigating turbulent waters, while an array of ceramic peacocks spirals upwards and dynamic digital animations inspired by the manuscript swirl and evolve.
A product of extensive archival research, the artist’s pedagogical spirit is evident, as detailed wall text lays out the historical and visual narratives of the exhibit. However, this sometimes limits the viewer’s capacity for personal exploration—an irony given the exhibition’s emphasis on the richness found in encounters. One lengthy label discussing a collection of porcelain dishes states, “This piece fosters generative discussions on race and ethnicity through the lens of migration—the movement of people, plants, and ideas.” It’s unfortunate that such insights are laid out so explicitly; had they been left somewhat to the interpretation of the audience, especially for immigrant viewers, the delight of discovering these connections organically through the artwork could have been profoundly rewarding.
Sarah K. Khan: Speak, Sing, Shout: We, Too, Sing America is on display at BRIC (647 Fulton Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn) until December 23. This exhibition is part of the What Can Become of Us series, a collaboration between the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies and Zócalo Public Square.
