Pakora Portraits: Food For Thought With Artist Qinza Najm
Saturday, June 15 • 2–4:30PM
On the 2nd Floor of the Museum
FREE! Please RSVP
As part of Experience Art: The Sixth AIM Biennial (Part Two) Closing Event, you are invited to eat some delicious pakoras (fritters made with ingredients like potatoes, spinach, and spices) while considering questions about the role of food in cultural exchange with artist Qinza Najm. Najm completed The Bronx Museum’s flagship AIM Fellowship program in 2021 and currently has work on view in our galleries in Part Two of Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial.
It is free to participate in this activity, and drop-ins are welcome, but please let us know if you plan to stop by with an RSVP.
ABOUT PAKORA PORTRAITS
The artist describes her activity as follows:
Explore Pakora Portraits: Bites of Belonging where the art of Qinza Najm and the culinary tradition of pakoras merge to delve into themes of identity, migration, and belonging. This event draws from Najm’s personal journey from Lahore to New York City, transforming the simple pakora (fritter) into a narrative tool that spans cultures and continents.
Set against the backdrop of Najm’s reflective stainless steel artworks on the first floor, the event invites you to reflect on your own stories of home through the communal act of sharing food. Each pakora, made from traditional ingredients like potatoes, spinach, and spices, is not just a snack but a catalyst for sharing memories and experiences of home that resonate across different backgrounds.
Join us for an afternoon of art and conversation, where you can connect with others over shared flavors and stories, discovering the powerful role food plays in our lives as a bridge between the past and the present, the personal and the collective. This gathering is an opportunity to engage with the community, reflect on personal histories, and celebrate the diversity that shapes our city.
About Qinza Najm
Najm is trained at Bath University London and the Art Students League of New York. Her interdisciplinary practice spans painting, installations, sculpture, and performance. Najm’s work has been exhibited globally at institutions such as the Queens Museum and the Museum of the Moving Image. With a Ph.D. in Psychology and a focus on emotional intelligence, Najm challenges social norms and explores the relationship between the human body, identity, and power, particularly for women and immigrants. Her work transforms everyday materials and objects into immersive experiences that encourage critical reflection and evoke empathy. Najm aims to create understanding and dialogue between diverse communities by addressing social issues and cultural traumas. Najm is a 2021 AIM Fellow at The Bronx Museum.
