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.The. .Soft. .Archive. .A. .Collection.

Each screenshot captures a moment of pause within the flow of making, a small act of noticing amid continuous motion.


Shaheer Zazai is an Afghan-Canadian artist with a current studio practice in painting and digital media. He received a BFA from OCAD University in 2011. 

Zazai’s practice focuses on the development of cultural identity in the present geopolitical climate and diaspora. While the digital practice is a process-based exploration, the paintings have been an internal investigation into vulnerability and fear.

Over time, Zazai’s material vocabulary has expanded into textile work, site-specific public art installations and video works with his lens becoming self-reflective.

Zazai is a recipient of the TFVA Visual Artist Award, several Ontario Arts Council grants, and he was a finalist for EQ Bank’s Emerging Digital Artist Award. He has had several solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

Zazai will open a solo exhibition at Art Gallery of Mississauga in January 2026 and will participate in a group exhibition at San Francisco’s Museum of Craft and Design in 2026. 

Explore A Collection, Notes on Attention, A Pause, the corresponding print project from BlackFlash 42.3 Patterns.

This article is published in issue 42.3 of BlackFlash magazine. Get this issue

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