Location: Studio, North London
This feature of Celebrity Style is to highlight ‘Moguls’ in their field of work.
I was introduced to Aisha through a mutual friend earlier this year. We started chatting and found a common interest of fashion and art.
I soon learnt that Aisha was a former fashion design student at the London College of Fashion and went on to Central St Martins School of Art where she studied her MA Degree in Fine Art. In addition my creative fellow is a contemporary abstract artist who recently finished her art collection and invited me to her exhibition. On 10 June 2009 I attended Aisha’s ‘Spirit of the Sublime’ exhibition in London.
So it has been five months since Aisha showcased her solo collection and I was excited to find out what she was currently working on and decided to meet at her studio.
At our meeting I told Aisha how much I enjoyed the exhibition and asked what was the concept behind Spirit of the Sublime? She replied ‘Sublime’ refers to the Creator of the Universe, giving her collection a spiritual meaning. Aisha explained that her source of inspiration comes from what she has discovered from reading the Quran, and her own set of life experiences that translate into her paintings. Aisha told me as time passes her, life changed in different directions, and at these stages of her life she questioned the purpose of life and the creation of the Universe. As Aisha researched into different theories, especially looking at references to the Quran, the Quran gave her knowledge and understanding to her questions of curiosity.
Aisha Caan is known as an abstract painter, influenced by religion and science and inspired by American and German Abstract Expressionist Artists that include:- Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Jackson Pollock.
Aisha’ dedication and contribution to the arts has been honored by a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts; also friend of The British Museum and a member of the Tate.
Currently Aisha is working on her forthcoming collection, which she will be show casing in April 2011. The next collection is a continuation of the concept of creation of the Universe featuring elements of nature, earth, wind, fire and water. Aisha told me that she listens only to Arabic verses of the Quran or Islamic lectures when working as it gives her inspirational direction and equally advancing her knowledge of Islam.
These are the hardworking shoes that Aisha likes to be working in when in the studio.
Behind every successful man is a woman; this woman is Aisha Caan, wife of James Caan, business tycoon also known on ‘Dragons Den’. Aisha is a mother of two daughters and a practicing Muslim woman with strong Islamic values and continues to carry out countless work for charity in the United Kingdom and abroad.
Once you know the meaning behind the concept of Aisha’s work it becomes more beautiful. Well I can say the same about her, beautiful and spiritual as her paintings are!
Thank you for educating and sharing your knowledge and being such an inspirational role model to us all!
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