Zuha Ahsan

 Painting is my main focus, but I’ve been exploring mixed media and using found objects in my work. I like to experiment and keep pushing my creative process to see what I can change or make more interesting. My art is about staying curious, trying new things, and finding beauty in unexpected materials and ideas.

The Aftermath, 2025

I built a mock house wall by stapling vinyl siding onto a plywood panel. Using golf balls and a hammer, I replicated hail impacts to mimic the damage commonly seen on Calgary homes. The piece uses everyday construction materials and simple, direct actions to simulate a real weather event. The work focuses on climate driven extreme weather and the fragility, and the cost of our built environment. It aims to bring attention to the tension between corporate material choices such as vinyl siding and community vulnerability, especially for lower-income families.This piece was inspired by my own family's experience dealing with insurance claims after a really bad hailstorm that damaged our home. That experience, combined with worsening summers filled with wildfire smoke, intense heat, and destructive hail made me to question why we cover our houses in plastic that shatters, litters yards with microplastics, and is expensive to replace. The idea is simple. Climate resilience and environmental health should be a part of our home designs, and not treated as an afterthought!

Mornings, 2025

This photo captures the quiet early mornings on my daily train ride to university.

Each day, I encounter a diverse range of people, fellow students heading to their classes, elderly passengers navigating the city, and commuters rushing to their jobs.

Most mornings are filled with the usual hustle and bustle, but every now and then, there are those rare, peaceful moments when the station feels calm and still, In these moments of quiet, I'm reminded that everyone is on their own journey, working tirelessly toward their goals.

These brief encounters, strangers sharing a fleeting moment together on the same train, highlight the shared experience of striving for something greater, even as we each continue on our own path. It's a small but meaningful reflection on the collective pursuit of personal aspirations in the early hours of the day.