Amjad Majid

Exhibition Review: “I am looking for you like a drone, my love” by Aziz Hazara + Unknown Carpet Makers

May 22, 2022 | Art

Amjad Majid presents a review of “I am looking for you like a drone, my love”, an exhibition showcasing work by Aziz Hazara and unknown carpet makers. Curated by Dr. David Sequeira, the exhibition is on display at the Fiona & Sidney Myer Gallery, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne from April 14 to May 21, 2022. Inverse Journal has included an independently curated visual bibliography to familiarize readers and viewers with the Afghan artist’s extensive art practice.

MUSIC FEATURE: A Song by Kristina Jacobsen Inspired by Ather Zia’s Poem “i. will. cross.” + Exclusive Interview with the Two Professors

March 27, 2022 | Academia, Music, Poetry

In a rare and unprecedented instance, two professors from two different cultures meet at the crossroads of verse and song to produce a creative collaboration around the themes of Indigeneity, marginality, war, colonization, and erasure. The result is an adaptation of Professor Ather Zia’s poem “i. will. cross.” into a song composed and performed by Professor Kristina Jacobsen. Along with Kristina Jacobsen’s song recording (mixed and mastered by Drake Hardin), we reproduce Ather Zia’s poem as well as a recorded recitation by the poet (republished from Sapiens via CC BY-ND 4.0), followed by an exclusive Q&A with the two professors and a list of relevant links for those interested in their extensive work.

4 SHADOWS: A Solo Exhibition by Azim Hassan — A Kashmiri Artist Looks Back from Hangzhou, China

November 7, 2021 | 2021 Timeline, Art

Inverse Journal introduces “4 Shadows”, Azim Hassan’s solo exhibition recently held at Daye Art Gallery in Hangzhou, China. The exhibition gathered ten years of Azim’s work, from the Anantnag native’s early days in Kashmir to more recent creative explorations from his years in Hangzhou.

Revisiting PSYCHO (Prod.by Prophecy – SOS ft. SXR & Imaad) — A Kashmiri Hip Hop Review by Amjad Majid

August 20, 2021 | 2021 Timeline, Music

Exactly one year after its release, Amjad Majid revisits one of the most iconic songs from Kashmiri Hip Hop, with a music video that gathered some of the primary figures and the younger generations who developed and expanded the genre, and continue to do so to this very day.

On Gaekhir Republik and the Contemporary Kashmiri Music Scene — by Amjad Majid

August 3, 2021 | 2021 Timeline, Music

Amjad Majid presents three live performances by Kashmiri music collective Gaekhir Republik that rescue the soul from the constructed time imposed on a subject confined to an equally constructed space, far removed from the Kashmir whose memory we struggle to keep palpitant. In the process, Majid addresses larger questions regarding contemporary Kashmiri music, locating Gaekhir Republik’s performances and musical style within developing notions of such music that this young generation of musicians is shaping along with their peers in the nascent contemporary Kashmiri music scene.

COVID-19 Kashmir Tracker: When Young IT Professionals Harness the Power of Open Source to Help Make a Difference

April 4, 2020 | From the Editor

With 2G internet restrictions in place during a global Coronavirus crisis, this article discusses the greater value of independent collaborative initiatives like the COVID-19 Kashmir Tracker developed by young Kashmiri IT professionals Haider Ali, Mudasir Ali and Vikas Bukhari.

Decussate Art: The Artful Collaborations of Waswo X. Waswo and R. Vijay — by Amjad Majid

November 13, 2019 | Art

In this extensive review, Amjad Majid introduces “Like a Leaf in Autumn,” the latest exhibition by Waswo X. Waswo in collaboration with R. Vijay. Currently on exhibit at New Delhi’s Gallery Espace, the ongoing show closes on November 16th and brings together a vast collection of miniatures, sculptures and sculptural installations, and a few other works produced over the last two years. “Like a Leaf in Autumn” takes its title from a line in Orhan Pamuk’s novel “My Name is Red” and reflects the culmination of twelve years of Waswo X. Waswo’s collaborative work with miniaturist R. Vijay.

Professor Ather Zia on Articles 370/35A and the Ongoing Siege, Lockdown and Blackout Imposed on Kashmir

October 28, 2019 | Kashmir 2019 Siege

Here is a list of Professor Ather Zia’s interventions in the global media regarding the Indian government’s abrupt and secretive decision to repeal Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution. Also included is a useful visual bibliography for our readers, scholars, researchers and journalists to become more acquainted with Professor Zia’s extensive work in multiple relevant and intersecting fields of knowledge centered on Kashmir, its past and its present, and above all, focusing on its peoples.

Paseo: Poetry to Disarm a War — by Amjad Majid

February 7, 2019 | Film

The Spanish Civil War and its memorialization has become an institution unto itself in contemporary Spain. On a yearly basis, new films, novels, poems, texts of fiction, scholarship and research emerge to expand the culture of revisiting, exploration and study brought about by this defining event of Spanish history. One such film, a short one, is the 2007 Paseo (translated “A Walk”) that takes one of the most famous poems by Mario Benedetti (“Corazón coraza,” translated “Armored Heart”) to weave a story about three men waiting for an inevitable encounter.

Inverse Journal: A Basic Introduction — by Amjad Majid

February 1, 2019 | From the Editor

In an attempt to develop conversations, dialogues, discussions and exchanges of ideas about contemporary culture from Kashmir to the world beyond the Himalayas, Inverse Journal has arrived to establish a space and a platform for a wide array of culture producers and an interested readership. The journal primarily focuses on contemporary art forms, from fiction, poetry, art, photography, music to scholarly essays and articles, but also intends to create global and multicultural intersections through this common space. We are expecting half of our submissions to come from Kashmiri culture producers and the remaining half will depend on a variety of contributions to the journal made from a diverse group of international contributors.