Collective Behavior, an exhibition by renowned artist Shahzia Sikander, will premiere at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Cleveland Art Museum in February 2025.  

The exhibition is a compilation of Sikander’s journey as a feminist, Pakistani, Muslim, American artist and presents over 100 pieces of art across multiple mediums spanning her 35-year career. 

After receiving her BFA from the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Pakistan, and her MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design, Sikander went on to master the mediums of painting, media work, and sculpting, focusing on shifting South Asian painting traditions and establishing the form best known as neo-miniature. 

Collective Behavior, curated by Ainsley M. Cameron, Ph.D., CAM’s curator of South Asian art, Islamic art and antiques, works to animate South Asian visual histories through a more contemporary perspective. 

“Collective Behavior proposes kinship systems between experience, consciousness, race and culture,” said Sikander in a press release. “The works in this exhibition address many themes close to my heart, including centering women’s narratives among uneven power relations and ongoing legacies of colonialism. Taking a global feminist perspective, I explore gender and body politics, examining the female form and feminine presence in art, religion and society.”

Collective Behavior will be on display at CAM from Friday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, May 4. Admission to the exhibition is free for members and $12 for non-members.  Additionally, a grand opening of the exhibition is open to all members on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 5-7 p.m., and an artist talk with Sikander will be presented at CAM on Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. 

To learn more about the exhibition, visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org.