Ailya Fatima is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto whose practice spans painting, installation, illustration, and sculpture. Rooted in her experiences as a third-culture immigrant born in India and raised in the UAE, her work explores identity, memory, and belonging. Through mixed media, Ailya combines personal and abstract elements to challenge norms, blend past and present timelines, and address broader social dialogues surrounding migration, feminism, and transformation.
Where I Am, Where I’m From
Mixed Media on Canvas, 30 x 40 in, 2025
This diptych self-portrait explores the fluid relationship between tradition and contemporary experience, reflecting the tension of belonging to two places at once. Rooted in my Indian heritage yet shaped by a Western upbringing, the work visualizes the coexistence of my cultural and modern selves.
The two paintings mirror and contrast each other. The first features an abstracted figure inside a rigid, symmetrical frame inspired by Persian and Indian motifs, symbolizing historical structure and my feeling of rebelliousness within it. The second places an elegant figure in traditional clothing within a chaotic, unstructured abstract space, representing curiosity, cultural pride, and personal growth through new experiences.
By juxtaposing historical order with flexible expression, this diptych captures the complexity of a moving identity. At its core, the piece symbolises what it means to carry your heritage forward while navigating the feeling of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once.