“My art career is rather non-conventional,” confesses ceramic artist Abid Javed. "I started drawing at a very young age, which later was refined when I learned art at high school and college; but I then decided to pursue my scientific interests by studying biochemistry at university." That was an interesting time for the budding artist who juggled producing scientific illustrations with making portraits in oils and acrylics.
It was not until he was nearing the completion of his PhD that Javed decided to take up ceramics as a creative outlet. “I started making clay objects with a curious outlook and a research mindset,” he remembers. This resulted in his first collection, produced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, Javed’s pieces have all-encompassed biological narratives.
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Science, however, is not his only big influence. “A large part of my heritage is from Pakistan – where my parents are originally from – and a small fraction of it is from Hong Kong where I was born and spent most of early childhood before moving with my family to the U.K. when I was 12,” says Javed. “Subconsciously, my work draws heavily on my attraction to (and some knowledge of) Islamic arts: geometry, symmetry, architectural signatures as well as the idea of representing nature as a window to paradise. Practice-wise, my sensibilities come from the East Asian concepts of simplicity and connectedness with nature.”
Javed’s loved ones have always supported his creative journey. His mother has played an especially important role in awakening his love for art. “My mum is the person who has a creative flair and, when we were in Pakistan, she would seek out local craftsmen to work on several home projects such as mirrors, furniture and objects,” he says. “As with most families, there was some fear at the start in terms of how successful my career would be but once they saw my work picking up pace and getting recognised, there was a sense of acknowledgement that what I am doing matters and is worth pursuing.”
Taking biological forms and narratives at nanoscale and viewing them from an abstract lens to bring them into physical spaces – transforming them into an enriching experience – is at the heart of Javed’s vision. His debut exhibition, Soma: design abstractions from within the cell, which will be part of the upcoming London Design Festival from September 21-24, is a celebration of this blend of science and art.
“There will be between 30-40 pieces (sculptures, lamps, stools, vessels, vases and mirrors) that have been specially made for the show, which envisions the cell itself as a compartment that houses a variety of objects that are interlinked,” describes Javed. “You enter the room and you experience the fluidity of forms and the dynamics that exist inside a cell. Most work is in ceramics, together with materials such as beeswax, paper and metal. As you go through the room, you experience a variety of different molecules to then directed toward the nucleus – where the genetic material is housed. Here, the structures become tubular and are reflected in the sculptural objects.”
Mostly characterised by an earthy palette of whites, blacks, reds and terracotta, Javed’s pieces are non-glazed to emphasize the properties of the clay and the shapes. “There are a lot of variations in terms of the style of my work but I feel it is my unique perspective and lens – the organismal quality of my sculptural work that shines a light on the microscopic world is what sets me apart,” he says.
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Continuously exploring, Javed already dreams of an ambitious project: designing a mosque through his biomorphic lens. “In my life so far, I have seen some incredible mosques that have been transformative in the way I think,” he says. “I want to design spaces that enhance people’s experiences and overall elevate how they experience this planet.” @abid.jav
