If you are staring at the strokes on your canvas wondering how they can be digitised, this young artist from Karachi has some useful tips for beginners. “They are all different fields but at the end of the day it is all art,” Ayesha Mubarak Ali said while explaining her integrated art on show Naya Din. “You look at the nature of the project and work out how it can be displayed better. Sometimes research is required, but you can grab attention by giving it slight touches of fashion as well.” She describes her work as a “fusion art”, which is a blend of fine arts, textile design and machine learning such as data collection. “They are all part of my art.” Ayesha started off with acrylic painting but soon realised that she needed to go beyond it. “Art has power and that power can only be visible if you contribute to it,” the artist said. “Unless your art has an interdisciplinary touch, you cannot compete with the international community.” One of her projects, titled Dark Skies Gaze Back, tackles light pollution in Karachi. She has been working on it since before the pandemic. “People are aware of noise and air pollution,” she said, “but light pollution is not something many people are familiar with. It has many interpretations. It teaches how light can cause depression and affect a person’s metabolism, etc.” Ayesha explores women empowerment in her work as well. “We wanted to make South Asian women part of a narrative which is different from what we see in the mainstream media. They have to have the role of a warrior.” When asked how beginners can digitise a canvas, the artist said: “There are many ways to do it. The best way I would say whoever loves art should research data collection and machine learning and then see how it can be integrated into their art.” Ayesha has two projects in the pipeline. She will be working for Karachi Biennale scheduled for 2022 as well.