animation; 1:53 minutes; 2024. Courtesy of the artist.
COLLAGE IN MOTION UPDATE
Water Body by Marria Khan Selected for the 7th Contemporary Video Art Exhibition
at Twelve Gates Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
11 November 2025, 6-8:30PM
As a result of Kolaj Institute’s 2024 Collage on Screen Virtual Artist Residency, Lahore, Pakistan-based artist Marria Khan created the collage animation, Water Body.
This film was selected for the program of the 7th Contemporary Video Art Exhibition, co-presented by Twelve Gates Arts (12G) and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF). On the evening of 11 November 2025, 6-8:30PM, there will be a screening of the films juried into the exhibition and an artist conversation facilitated by Swetha Regunathan.
The 7th iteration of the Contemporary Video Art Exhibition celebrates contemporary video art—that is, contemporary art using recorded moving images—created by artists from South and South-West Asia, North Africa (SSWANA), as well as artists of indentured Indian descent and their diasporas.
About her film, Marria Khan wrote, “Like creation myths, flood or deluge myths resonate across many cultures, symbolizing the overwhelming power of natural forces that wash us away, reclaiming what belongs to them. This concept—of floods as instruments wielded by higher forces for retribution, renewal, or purification—is embedded deeply within our collective consciousness. Water Body delves into these themes, exploring the surreal narratives found in these ancient creation and deluge myths. It reflects humankind’s complex and evolving relationship with the natural world. Are we responsible for the imbalances in elemental forces that now wreak havoc upon us? Perhaps once we were not, but undeniably, we are now.”
INFORMATION
Twelve Gates Arts
106 North Second Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106 USA
To RSVP for the event, go HERE.