New Azraa Motala Acquisition – Contemporary Portrait Painting
This portrait was part of the exhibition titled Unapologetic at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery as part of the last British Textile Biennial in 2021. Unapologetic is a co-commission between the British Textile Biennial and The Harris. Photo by Azraa Motala.
She worked with the Harris to develop a new project called ‘Unapologetic’ in 2021. Motala made a call out through South Asian women’s network and groups, her own contacts and social media to invite women to participate as collaborators and subjects in the series of portraits. Once selected the women spent time with her in facilitated conversations about their experiences of identity, culture, mis-representation and self-representation. The group will visit the Harris in 2025 to investigate the collections in order to interrogate the representation of women and the lack of representation of women like them.
Azraa’s painting will be displayed in the Art Gallery alongside a portrait of her choice from the Fine Art Collection. Azraa will write the accompanying text for the label from her personal experience. This will sit alongside a wider display of portraits selected by the public. The painting will be swapped into the Sense of Identity hang when the display changes. Azraa’s painting will be available to loan.
“Being a woman of colour is inherently political, especially when our identities have been stigmatised as a result of attitudes towards immigration and religion. Further fuelled by the media and cultural gatekeepers often promoting a narrative of “otherness”. Unapologetic will challenge the rhetoric and provide a platform for an overlooked community of young British South Asian women based in Lancashire to self represent in a society that lacks this authentic representation.” – Azraa Motala
Azraa Motala is from Preston, Lancashire. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a first class BA honours degree in Fine Art.
New Azraa Motala Acquisition
This portrait was part of the exhibition titled Unapologetic at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery as part of the last British Textile Biennial in 2021. Unapologetic is a co-commission between the British Textile Biennial and The Harris. Photo by Azraa Motala.
Samiya Rahman, 24, Burnley
‘My name is Samiya, I am 24 years old from Burnley. I have recently graduated in BA Graphic Design at UCLan and I have previously represented Lancashire in Cricket and still carry on excelling in various sports. A big part of my life is to do with sports and being a girl from the BAME community where there isn’t much representation in sports teams I feel it is important to be a role model for others and myself.’
Harris Your Place
Harris Your Place is a £16 million project set to restore and reimagine the Harris for 21st-century audiences as a cultural learning space. The aim of this project is to protect the building and the architecture for future generations whilst enhancing accessibility options and positioning the Harris as a community hub for Preston and Lancashire.
The capital project is more than simply preserving this much-loved building; Harris wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant heart of the community. A place where people want to spend their time.
