I Claim Me

Acrylic on canvas.

40x30x1.50"

The poetic verses on the scroll written in Urdu mean:

"To those who deny my soul,
Insisting on it,
Over and over again -
Someone needs to ask them:
Who appointed you God on this earth?
Who gave you the absolute authority over my being?"

This multi-medium masterwork serves as a permanent, physical archive of personal survival. Painted years ago during a profound period of personal trial and kept privately until now, the canvas features intricate South Asian allegorical iconography juxtaposed against a fierce, hand-calligraphed poetic rebellion. Because the artist’s original poetry is woven directly into the brushstrokes, the piece stands as a singular, irreplaceable monument of self-sovereignty.