In this issue

BlackFlash Fall/Winter 2021
Infinities guest-edited by Nadia Kurd

Infinities (Fall/Winter 38.3) brings together a range of Canadian artists and writers to examine the influence of the traditions and conventions of Islamic visual cultures on contemporary art. From techniques and symbols to concepts and designs, artists such as Tazeen Qayyum, Abdi Osman, Shaheer Zazai, Azadeh Elmizadeh have employed various methods and materials to not only show the ways in which Islamic visual cultures continues to inform their work, but also the challenges, possibilities and implications in doing so.

BlackFlash and Nadia Kurd are grateful for the generous support from Canada Council for the Arts for the production and dissemination of this issue.

Editorial Features:

Thinking Through Infinities and the Possibilities of Art Making
By Nadia Kurd

Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA): Transforming Canada’s Representational Lens
By Moska Rokay

The Thin Line Between Modernity and Tradition in Queer Performance
By Abdi Osman

Distance, Difference, Destiny
By Tazeen Qayyum

Azadeh Elmizadeh, A Hundred Times, Why?
By Tammer El-Sheikh

“The Art of the Hustle”: How Photographer Faisa Omer is Reclaiming Beauty Standards and Breaking Barriers Through Storytelling
By Timiro Mohamed

In Keeping House: Radicalizing the Mundane as Potential for Reconciliation
By Yasmeen Nematt Alla

Traditions Unbound: An Interview with Jamelie Hassan
By Nadia Kurd

Grief, Tenderness, and Kinship: The Work of Habiba El-Sayed
By Sanaa Humayun

Of Land, Performance, and History: A Profile on Alize Zorlutuna
By Sam Shahsahabi

The Fiction of a Fixed Point: The Films of Rolla Tahir
By Nehal El-Hadi

Cover Image
Samar Hejazi, Little Blue-six, 2021. Tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) from The Intricacies of Wholeness series, 20 x 10 cm. Photo by Jessica Thalmann.

BlackFlash Magazine Description:

BlackFlash Magazine is a platform for contemporary visual art.

BlackFlash is dedicated to presenting critical opinions, urgent issues, and innovative ideas about divergent artistic practices from across Canada, the United States and beyond. Each issue includes feature articles, profiles, interviews, and artist projects from a diverse selection of artists, writers, and curators. BlackFlash fosters a rich public engagement with image-based practices, such as photography and video as well as sound, performance and social practice by promoting energetic debate and showcasing diverse voices and communities (local, regional, national and international).

BlackFlash was founded in 1983 by the Saskatoon artist-run centre, The Photographer’s Gallery (TPG). We are currently working on our 38th year of publication, making us one of Canada’s longest running magazines. BlackFlash is proudly published, designed, and disseminated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and is an internationally recognized resource and authority on Canadian and international contemporary art.

BlackFlash was created to promote contemporary photography and over its thirty-five year history, the magazine evolved, following the artistic trajectory of photo-based practice to include artists working with new technologies such as video and digital media. In its commitment to being responsive to artists and relevant to contemporary art practice, the magazine has recently broadened its editorial mandate, while affirming its distinctive prairie perspective.