Muneeza Khan – Virtual Artist of ‘The Vintage Nerd’

by Zainab Nasir
(Karachi)

Your city:Karachi

What drives you?(What makes you so passionate about your work)
I have always believed that creating Art is nothing short of a super power and God’s blessing. Ever since an early age my definition of myself was that “ I’m an artist “. It made me proud, happy & excited. Every piece that I visualize mentally, then put on a canvas is a process from start to finish and seeing that final reveal, that excitement & happiness seeing a vision turned into a reality, nothing compares to it. So definitely these feelings are the driving force behind my work.

How did you get here and how long have you been in this profession (or been doing what you do)?
I started drawing at the age of 8, got lessons from a professional artist when I was 12 and even though I was expected to become I doctor I chose to pursue a degree in textile design and visual arts further finishing it off with a gold medal in Textile design and visual arts from the department of Visual Studies, Karachi University. So in all those years I grew as a person and an artist. I put all of me in my work and after graduation I decided to work different jobs related to art to gain experience. I have worked for an international label, Yellow. I have taught art and design at a university and further more I’ve managed art and design departments at another art school. All of these experiences pushed me further more into taking a leap of faith by putting my work forward as The Vintage Nerd, a label that I own and that features my art work and I also do my mother’s upcycled decor line under the same label, she’s an exceptionally gifted artist as well. So I can safely say that it has definitely been a life long journey inspired greatly by my mother’s art, my own experiences and self expression as an artist.

What has been your vision and what do you most love about your work?
The Vintage Nerd will in’shaa’Allah be 1 year old this May and the vision all throughout this past year as The Nerd has been to bring forth something different in terms of my Zen and Mandala designs as well as giving new life to the word paper recycling. I love creating intricate and detailed zen pieces that involve the person looking at them. The zen pieces I create are made on the idea of constant eye movement and a flow of design and depth, so definitely this is something that I love about my paintings. Recycling newspaper and creating something totally new out of it is definitely my second favorite thing at the Nerd HQ.

What do you think is your biggest achievement throughout your professional journey?
Creating The Vintage Nerd! This brand is my soul story and it means the world to me. Putting my work up on display, managing my mother’s artwork and just working day in and day out under this newly born label is the highlight of my professional journey so far.

What are your current projects and what do you plan on doing in the near future?
Currently I am preparing work for 2 upcoming exhibitions, one is in March and the other one is in April. Apart from that I’m also venturing into abstract art and working on some new paintings.

A word of advice you would like to pass on to other women struggling with their start-ups?
Channel your passion and believe in yourself, your style and be fierce in what you do. The combination of these 3 things together will surely take you places! Good luck.