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Simrah Farrukh
Belonging
Digital photo, on set for Bay Area artist, Fijiana’s, music video direction
2021
Wajood-E-Zan: Seema
Digital photograph with an overlay in post production
2023
Zenana Dewaron se Agay
Film photograph
2021
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Simrah Farrukh is an American-Pakistani photographer, artist and cultural storyteller based in San Francisco, CA.
Simrah’s work honors beauty, identity, belonging, and soul—with a deep reverence for womanhood and cultural expression. Working with light, she creates images with a painterly luminosity that bridges photographic documentation and fine art tradition. She is drawn to the quiet ways we relate to ourselves, each other, and the land we root ourselves in. Her photography explores the intersections of lived experience and shared identity, often guided by moments of stillness, resilience, and transformation. At the heart, her work embraces softness not as fragility, but as power.
Areeba Afreen Qureshi
‘Tis the Season
Oil on Panel
2024
I Know it’s Over
Oil on Panel
2024
Tell Me Something
Oil on Canvas
2024
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Areeba Afreen Qureshi (b. 2001) is an artist from Lahore, Pakistan, whose journey in the world of art is marked by a dedication to exploring the human form. Graduating from the National College of Arts in 2024, where she majored in painting, Areeba's artistic journey has been enriched by a diverse range of experiences. Working mainly in oils, her work is characterized by its vivid colors and introspective themes, inviting viewers to delve into the complexities of the human experience.
In 2023, she embarked on a transformative journey through a summer residency program at the New York Academy of Art, where she immersed herself in the vibrant art scene of the city. She was awarded the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant in 2023 and 2024, further fueling her artistic pursuits. She is currently pursuing her MFA degree at the New York Academy of Art.
Christina Welzer
Parasite
Ink, cut paper, string, mulberry sheet, wooden dowel, and light
2025
Never Let Me Go
ink, cut paper, colored pencil
2025
Top Heavy
Ink, cut paper, string, mulberry sheet, wooden dowel, and light
2025
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Korean American artist Christina Welzer creates work deeply influenced by her family's fragmented history of escape from both communist North Korea and the war-torn South. Supported by the Korean concept of Han (한)—the collective sorrow and rage embedded in Korean culture following Japanese occupation—Welzer's practice explores how women navigate the world with serene exteriors while concealing turbulent emotional landscapes beneath. Her delicate craftsmanship and focus on female perspectives reveal hidden narratives of rage, fear, and resilience, challenging viewers to acknowledge the strength required to carry invisible generational trauma.
Mengwen Cao
“I STAND BETWEEN”
Pauline Park
Archival pigment print
2017
Nam Holtz
Archival pigment print
2017
Mathew Luce
Archival pigment print
2017
ABOUT THE ARTIST
MENGWEN CAO (they/them) is queer photographer, artist, educator and somatic coach creating multimedia portals for personal and collective transformation. Born and raised in Hangzhou, China, they are based in New York, United States.
Weaving their embodied experience as a Chinese diasporic queer into their spiritual and creative practices, they use care and tenderness to explore in-between spaces. They see photography as a vehicle for healing and a tool to visualize the future. As a facilitator, they are trained in somatic coaching and various healing practices.
This Exhibition is curated by the New York Asian Arts Festival.
Launching this May 2025, NYAAF marks its inaugural year with a series of creative experiences spotlighting emerging and established talent across the arts and culture.
From a gallery showcase to hands-on art classes and workshops in partnership with AAPI-owned businesses, we're building spaces of connection and joy. Whether you're an artist, a supporter, or simply curious, we invite you to join us—get inspired, learn something new, and meet fellow creatives who are transforming cultural barriers into bridges of expression.
An initiative launched and produced by IT MEANS LIGHT and Akin.