About

Vibrant pigments and shifting structures , a distorted memory of a past life intertwined with vivid, modern studies of a new one, showcase a struggle between capturing meaningful moments and being engrossed in a distant fantasy. 

Asifa Jamie Khan, is a painter who often takes unprecedented ventures in the studio, by shifting focuses back and forth with her depictions and experiences with nature and the environment. She composes her paintings as doorways to a mystical world, that decodes feelings and ever-changing scenarios, and provides a pause to the moments that shift within the blink of an eye. 

Asifa, who primarily goes by “AJ”, is currently a freelance artist who resides in Ontario, Canada, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Art and Art History at York University’s established arts program. AJ is also comes from the multicultural and diverse twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where she received her visual art certificate for 7 years of art studies at Naparima Girls’ High School, at both the General Certificate of Education’s Ordinary and Advanced levels (GCE, O-Levels & A-Levels).

Over the years, AJ has shifted from realism to modern and contemporary studies that focus on shifting the boundaries of how we perceive nature and our surroundings along with the idea that our environments are constantly changing after being used as inspiration in our work. 

Education

2021 – B.A – Honours York University
2016 – GCE Advanced Levels in Visual Art & Design
2016 – Naparima Girls’ High School Certificate for 7 Years of Art & Design
2014 – GCE Ordinary Levels in Visual Art & Design

Awards

2019 – York University Undergraduate Grant, GPA & Merit based
2016 – The Dr. Michelle Hydal Memorial Award for Art
2015 – The Joseph Emmanuel Smith Award for Excellence in Visual Art
2013 – Certificate of Excellence by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Art

Solo Exhibitions

2018 – “Landscapes of Loss” – The Gales Gallery, Toronto, November 2018
https://events.ampd.yorku.ca/event/landscapes-of-loss-asifa-khan/

2023 – “Little Wonders of Home’ – McCormack Warehouse, Toronto. November 2023
A collaboration with Raw Artists, Canada.
https://rawartists.com/Ajkhan

Public & Charity Work

2018 – Volunteered skills upon request by the MSA, Muslim Students’ Association of University of Toronto, June 2018
2015 – “Sunshine” mural, at Living Word Learning Centre, pre-school