Amal Naheed’s fascination with subjects
In 1893, biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (a staunch supporter of Darwin’s ideas) laid out his theory of human nature and morality: the neurophilosophical account of human nature consists of three fundamental features: emotionality, amorality, and egoism; and the five factors that drive human nature in this account are power, pleasure, profit, pride, and permanency. Amal plays with scale and mediums to express different parts of our experience that lie beyond the reach of linguistic descriptions.
Studying the core, Amal’s work is creating a bridge between philosophy and neuroscience, attempting to understand mortality and self-governance. An unfiltered understanding of human ethics; the omissions, oppositions, and conditionings are being unearthed to make sense of sensibilities.
The debate on moral reasoning is old and interlaced with nature. Sometimes it seems artificial, other times, an accident during evolution. Be as it may be, our liberties have made life brutal and unpredictable. Amal displays a keen fascination with the figurative subject matter, occasionally leaning into folk philosophy to translate human behavior. She exhibits command over various techniques such as gouache, watercolor, and acrylic pouring. These works are Amal’s first-hand accounts of human emotionality as she understands what motivates us – the fragility of our hardwiring.
It is unusual that rationality is celebrated so often when we are more emotional than rational. We are blank slates: not born with predispositions of what is good or bad, instead, we are shaped by our environment. Amal maintains this authenticity of feelings, and when possible, enhances it.
Image: Despair and Acceptance, Amal Naheed, gouache on wasli, all copyrights retained by the artist 2023.
