Art Files: Aleena Sharif
No Longer Available, Oil on canvas, 2020.
Aleena Sharif’s work focuses on oil painting and almost exclusively nude female figures. The overall scaffolding behind her work is confronting negative connotations around the female body and body image. Sharif’s work seeks to normalize confidence and move away from unforgiving stereotypes against women to create a sense of power. The way the figure fills the canvas and the pose is often large scale with larger bodies and usually the bodies are almost looking down on the viewer which creates a sense of demanding attention. Her work facilitates dialogue around reclaiming space for the female body and does so unapologetically loudly. She uses techniques of realism depicting hair, stretch marks, and rolls to glorify imperfections.
