Garden Within

Our earth speaks to us” is the title of my recent odyssey in which I explore how the garden is an image of Paradise. It aligns with notions of peace, serenity, and allows diverse mindsets to co-exist in perfect harmony. In the garden, humans are provided with the opportunity of escaping from the pressures of environmental crises.

Nature, is my niche. The serenity of Mother Earth, and the internal peace of mind that it awakens amongst is what attracts me the most. We, as the human race, can say a thousand words or nothing at all with the environment around us. It makes us who we are. But what evokes passion in nature, is communal settings. Producing artwork or expressing yourself through the winds and trees that surround us in a way that does not show but immerses and becomes one with the viewer. Conversing with my peers, youngsters, mentors, even animals in such an inclusive manner allows us to submerge as one creation, as one race. The idea of becoming one with everything and everyone around me is what ignites my passion.

Could you give a brief introduction to yourself and your artistic practice?

I am a visual artist, author, parent, researcher, teacher, geometer, and environmentalist. My concerns and explorations have spanned philosophy, natural and metaphysical sciences, and psychology within the realm of aesthetics. My approach to these disciplines is not only grounded in rigorous investigation but also guided by a self-resilient artistic intuition, creating exquisite drawings and paintings that give precision to the imagination. I work with many mediums, including drawing, writing, photography, printmaking, video, and direct interaction with nature. I currently live in Lahore, Pakistan, and work as both an artist and a teacher.

I believe that art is the essence of life, as much as anything can be truly essential. It is extracted from existence through process. Art reflects life and analyzes its structure. As such, art should be a powerful force shaping the future.

My artistic practice reflects the transitions in nature, a reminder of the fleeting beauty of the moment and a reverence for the Earth. The ecological crises of our time compel viewers to reflect on the consequences of their actions and, hopefully, inspire them to take real action to protect our planet.

Nature is my niche. The serenity of Mother Earth and the inner peace she awakens within us are what attract me most. We, as humans, can speak volumes, or nothing at all, through our environment. Through embodied ecological research, I explore the inheritance of animist wisdom rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems. My approach combines somatic engagement with space, time, environment, and materiality, with a commitment to meaningful discourse about land and our connection to it.

a) Painting: I have always best expressed myself through opaque watercolors, organic pigments, handmade brushes and paper, dyes, pen and ink, and printmaking. What excites me most is preparing my own materials in traditional and sustainable ways using organic substances.

b) Videos: My videos mainly focus on the ecological embodiment of my surroundings. They help me capture, in real time, what I’m experiencing, often guiding the creation of my final work.

c) Research: For me, research is a way to build metaphoric narratives before I manifest them physically. It is through philosophical inquiry that I explore the wisdom and aesthetics of nature.

d) Installation: Installations allow me to explore the relationships between self, others, and nature, helping me reflect on our role in contributing to sustainable change.

e) Land Art: A personal odyssey emphasizing experimental and embodied learning, creating space for community, unity, and personal growth. It fosters self-awareness and a deeper understanding of the world.

In your poem Garden Within,  you begin with "beyond the noise, beyond the sleep," suggesting the garden serves as both a refuge and a source of revelation. Drawing from traditions where gardens represent Paradise, how do you navigate the interplay between its spiritual concept and the very material reality of the environmental crisis?

According to Garden Within, this narrative seeks insight through the lens of my faith. I learned that gardens are more than metaphors; they are sanctuaries for the artistic soul. In them, diversity unfolds creative expression and fosters dialogue between the imaginal and the material worlds. It nurtures interdependent relationships between organisms and landscapes by encouraging a felt connection with the living world.

The soil of our hearts nourishes us spiritually, mentally, physically, and environmentally. I invite you to walk the garden with me, together we will discover the truth of our being. This is the relationship of mind, body, and soul. It is our heart’s flourishing garden that represents human flourishing.

God planted us in this land, on a path of meaning and connection with nature. We must restore our ecological identity and intelligence by expanding our sense of self to include the broader ecological web. By awakening traditional ways of knowing and being, we reconnect with the ecology of wholeness and the greater web of life that informs our existence. We use garden metaphors daily without realizing it: The Creator planted a garden for us, and then the Creator planted a garden within us.

What motivated you to apply and participate in this online program? What were your initial goals and expectations?

The primary trait of this residency that inspired me to apply was its intentional separation from an online format. I was drawn to the collaborative learning it promotes, especially its promise of deep engagement with Mother Earth in ways I hadn’t previously explored.

Participating in an online ecological artist residency was a transformative experience that reconfigured my artistic practice and professional aspirations. The residency created a unique space where art, ecology, and critical dialogue intersected. It allowed me to explore pressing environmental issues through a more intentional, research-driven art practice.

Through virtual lectures, curated readings, and interdisciplinary discussions with peers and mentors, I was inspired to examine the ecological impact of my materials and methods more seriously. This residency motivated me to shift beyond aesthetic concerns and deeply embed sustainability into my artistic approach.

Being part of a diverse cohort of artists working across borders expanded my understanding of collaboration. I began to see my art practice as part of a larger ecosystem, one that thrives on mutual support, knowledge exchange, and collective action. This experience inspired me to pursue more community-oriented and ecologically engaged projects, aligning my goals with long-term environmental advocacy.

Ultimately, the residency reinforced my belief that artists play a vital role in environmental awareness. It clarified my vision to use my art as a tool for reflection, education, and ecological embodiment.

During the residency, you worked on a collective project where there is a beautiful tension between the solitary, contemplative garden and your emphasis on "communal settings" and "becoming one with everything and everyone." How do you create art experiences that are both deeply personal and collectively transformative?

I created Garden Within in a deeply poetic and tranquil way, embracing serenity and grounding myself in nature. A garden depends on its soil; symbolically, this soil is our heart—representing purity and the potential to grow through stillness.

I realized that art has the power to evoke change in a rapidly shifting world, where humanity must make crucial choices for survival while striving to uphold moral values and equity. The transformative and contemplative process of creating this piece bridges the personal and communal. It seeks to achieve a greater universal truth through reason, emotion, and reflection.

To be with everything and everyone is not to dissolve the self, but to expand it.

Could you elaborate on the project itself, detailing its conceptual underpinnings and practical applications?

A Garden Within nourishes the concept of the Garden of the Heart, spiritually sustained by the ever-flowing waters of the spirit. Its stillness invites all beings, human and non-human, to grow in multiplicity. Water flowing beneath its paths gives viewers the impression of truly being in the garden.

This project explores how solitude and collectivity are not opposites but co-creative forces. Rooted in eco-phenomenology and rational aesthetics, it becomes a lived experience shaped by interaction and presence. The act of being "alone together" deepens both personal insight and collective empathy.

The environment is an active participant, through weather, landscape, silence, time, and substance. The work resists spectacle and honors the sensory presence of simply being there. It is grounded in deep ecology and Indigenous knowledge, where land is alive, relational, and sacred.

You mention "conversing with my peers, youngsters, mentors, even animals in such an inclusive manner." How do you practically include non-human voices in your artistic process? What have animals taught you about art and spirituality that humans could not?

A Garden Within has no boundaries. It is a quiet, contemplative space in a communal setting, open to all beings. Here, everyone engages in dialogue through embodiment rather than abstraction. Non-human forms offer embodied knowledge through their presence. Their beatific vision reminds visitors of the immanence of nature, allowing the body to think and the Earth to speak.

What is the Earth saying that we're not hearing?

A deep, poetic, philosophical, and ecological truth is spoken in silence by the Earth: “We are not on the Earth. We are of the Earth.”

The Earth speaks through climate change, inviting us into the peace of soil, to breathe like the wind and grow like seeds, sustainably.

Engaging all our senses is fundamental to eco-somatic healing. Through the senses, we enter the nonverbal conversations taking place within ecosystems. By intentionally attuning ourselves to the ecology of place, we invite awareness back into the living landscape of our bodies, calling upon instinctive ways of being.

Everything we sense, combined with where we focus our attention, shapes our response to nature. If we are not consciously sensing and attending to it, we unintentionally disconnect from it, isolating ourselves from this ancient source of knowledge and removing nature from our worldview.

Can you share an example of how you and your fellow artists inspired or learned from each other during the collaborative process?

During this collaborative process, I experienced a vivid and inspiring journey with fellow artists exploring personal and ecological embodiment as both material and metaphor. Each artist came from a different discipline. It was an odyssey for me, truly.

One artist explored food waste and its interconnection with the broader community, emphasizing our duty to conserve the environment. Another focused on human diversity in relation to nature. I found deep inspiration in how our work existed within a communal setting, where natural elements intertwined with human souls from all backgrounds, creating familiarity, growth, and serenity.

Much environmental art confronts viewers with crisis, urgency, and alarm. Your approach seems to center peace and serenity as pathways to environmental consciousness. How do you balance the need to awaken people to environmental reality with your commitment to creating spaces of tranquility? Can beauty itself be a form of activism?

When peace prevails, conflict dissolves and beauty emerges. I have always seen peace as the absence of chaos. In such spaces, people come together with a sincere desire to coexist and care for the environment.

I believe beauty is the first and most powerful form of activism. When we view the world through the lens of beauty, we recognize its value, and the urgency to protect and preserve it for future generations. Everything beautiful is worth saving.

My work focuses on aligning the human soul with nature so that no distinction remains. Once nature becomes part of us, it becomes our duty to protect it and become its guardians.

If you could give one piece of advice to future participants of this program, what would it be?

Ecology teaches us that everything is connected, often in unseen ways. Let the land lead. Spend time in nature. Nurture the interdependent relationship between body and space by nourishing pathways of felt connection.

Allow your practice to emerge in conversation with space, not as a response, but as part of it. In the silence, deeper insight will grow, within you, and within your work.

Find more about the artist here.

See the immersive virtual exhibition here.

All images:

The Garden Within

Size: 19’ x 86’ / fountain size: 7 ft x 5 ft

Medium: Sand, organic pigment, wood, laser cut.

Year: 2025

All images courtesy of Aqeela Sherazi.