21/04/2026
‘Lapis Lazuli: The Wound and the Archive II’
Lapis lazuli, amazonite, afghanite and copper on metal
42 × 11.1 × 1.5 in (106.7 × 28.2 × 3.8 cm)
Presented in ‘Haus Edit, Vol. 1’
Curated by Zarmeene Shah & Seher Aziz
Following its initial presentation at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo as part of Art D’Egypte 2025.
The work approaches lapis lazuli as material and memory. Hand-cut fragments are applied as a second skin over a metal framework, forming a fractured, stratified surface. A central rupture interrupts continuity, while fine copper seams trace lines of breakage and repair. Inflections of amazonite and afghanite extend the chromatic field.
Drawing on inlay traditions that moved across Central and West Asia into Egypt, the work repositions these languages within a contemporary sculptural framework, where fragmentation becomes a condition for holding and reassembling histories.
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Meherunnisa Asad is a multidisciplinary artist and Artistic Director of Studio Lél, a stone atelier founded by her mother, Farhana Asad, in Peshawar. Her practice reimagines the heritage of applied arts through a contemporary sculptural language, rooted in pietra dura and extended through metalwork and lapidary processes. Trained at the National College of Arts, Lahore, and Pratt Institute, New York, she previously worked in architectural conservation with the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme. She works closely with artisans from her Pashtun community, alongside collaborations with Afghan and regional makers. Her work has been exhibited internationally in gallery and institutional contexts. She lives and works between Pakistan and Egypt.
