I have been interested in art from a young age. As a teenager growing up in Pakistan, I would take a
bus from my home in Rawalpindi to the house of Sadequain, one of Pakistan's most respected
artists, in F6/1 Islamabad. Every chance I could, over the course of five years, I would sit with
Sadequain and watch him create, get him tea, and learn from his artistry. It was the best training a
young artist could have received.
It was not until I moved to Australia in 2006, that I started doing paper cutting art. One day, my
daughter, five years old at the time, came up to me and said, “Baba, I'm bored.” I picked up a white
piece of paper, folded it several times, and started snipping corners with a scissor. When I unfolded
it, it looked like a sunflower. I was amazed at the beauty that could be created with a simple piece of
paper and a scissor.
For the past 12 years, I've created hundreds of art pieces, exhibited in galleries around the world,
and won national and international awards. One honor that I'm particularly proud of is that I may be
the only paper cutting artist in the world that focuses on Islamic stories.
I want my art to build bridges of understanding. That's why I focus on depicting stories that faith
traditions have in common and sharing verses from the Quran that reveal the values of Islam. It's
why I get excited when my designs and details encourage people to look closer and examine the art
more carefully, to ask questions, and to learn about the themes represented. I hope that my art can
reveal the beauty of my faith and help dispel misperceptions about Islam. Because for me, it's not
about selling a piece of art, it's about sharing something beautiful, making a connection, and
leaving a positive mark on the world.
Tusif Ahmad