Nusra Latif Qureshi studied with prominent teachers in Pakistan and India where she learnt the complex art of miniature painting, including the traditional techniques of preparing pigment, paper and brush. Her paintings explore political and historical narratives.
In Gardens of desire II 2002, Qureshi refers to a South-Asian, eighteenth-century Hindu Pahari painting of Radha and her lover, god Krishna ― the most popular of the Hindu divinities, often celebrated for his charm and love of dance.
In Qureshi's painting, the eye is drawn to the naked figure of Radha, who is held by Krishna. Krishna is rendered flat and without detail.
In this miniature, Qureshi questions the motives of power in the final overlay of Lantana camara. Introduced by the British in the early nineteenth century as an ornamental plant, it is a noxious weed and now considered a threat to native plant species.
