Art Beat: Love is a Give & Take

Ya Wadud – Framed, By: Nadia J. Art

As an artist, I believe it is my role to express and interpret the breadth of human experience, as well as elevate discourse about social issues within my particular frame of reference. With my art, I seek answers to questions about what our society is able to achieve, but has yet to realize. Recently, the world experienced a devastating loss with the murder of three young, bright Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For many of us, it hit hard and it hit home – Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were three young college students who had dedicated their lives to being good, caring, and giving human beings. This was evidenced in the continuous outpouring of love and support after their death, and the many accounts of their work, posts, interviews, and interactions which have been shared all over social media subsequently. Moved deeply by their loss, as if it were my own, I began meditating on the attribute of God – “Al-Wadud” or “The Ever-Loving.”

My recent painting, “Love is a Give & Take” is an expression of my effort to come to terms, both emotionally and spiritually, with this event which brought such great sadness. It has been my life experience that with every taking, there is a giving. In a similar vein, my painting echoes in colours of love, the beloved name of God – One Who Loves. It is a reminder that loss is not an occasion or an event, but something that happens over and over again, and graciously, so does love.

A portion of proceeds from all sales of the “Love is a Give & Take” painting and reproductions are being donated to the “Our Three Winners” Trust Fund, which will fund education, dental relief, and service projects helping those in need. Please read more on the fund and purchase “Love is a Give & Take” prints here.

Ya Wadud – Prints, By: Nadia J. Art

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Nadia Janjua

Artist and Contributor at The Link Canada

Nadia Janjua is an Architect, Visual Artist, and Art Educator based in the Washington, D.C. area, working under the business name “Nadia J Art.” She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from the George Washington University, and a Masters in Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Recently named one of DC’s Best Up-and-Coming Artists, Nadia has been professionally exhibiting her abstract and mixed media paintings throughout the past ten years. She has served as a panelist and curator for numerous exhibitions and conferences in the United States, England and Malaysia, and is best known for her entrepreneurial and social activist spirit, focusing on promoting arts education and women’s empowerment through her professional and volunteer community work. Her main medium of work is acrylic and oil paint, and she also operates a handmade line of retail art sold online. Her work can be seen at nadiajart.com.

Latest posts by Nadia Janjua (see all)

• Art Beat: Think Like an Artist - August 18, 2015
• Art Beat: Love is a Give & Take - April 30, 2015