Self Portrait I

Biography: Yaruk Mehmood is a New York–based visual artist working across drawing and sculpture. He received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art and holds a BFA from the University of Karachi. His practice centers on the human figure, explored through a material-driven process that merges drawing with printmaking. Using fabric impressions as a starting point, he constructs dense, textured surfaces from which figures emerge—positioning the body within fields shaped by pressure, resistance, and memory. This approach extends into his sculptural work, where carving becomes an extension of mark-making, translating surface into form. Alongside his studio practice, Mehmood has worked in digital illustration, including children’s book publishing, and previously served as a Design Team Lead at Digitonics in Karachi before transitioning into independent practice. He has exhibited in group exhibitions across Pakistan and New York, and has contributed to collaborative projects such as Manachi, developed in partnership with the Manchester Museum and the University of Karachi. He has also remained actively engaged with artistic and public communities through initiatives including the Karachi Biennale and independent workshops. STATEMENT I work through a combination of drawing and printmaking, using fabric impressions as a foundation for constructing the human figure. My surfaces are built through the physical transfer of materials such as gauze and sackcloth, creating dense, textured grounds that carry traces of pressure, movement, and resistance. From these surfaces, figures begin to emerge. I use line as a primary tool to locate and define the body—balancing control and spontaneity. Drawn lines are deliberate, shaping volume and structure, while printed marks remain unpredictable, introducing tension and disruption. Together, these processes allow the figure to exist between formation and fragmentation. The body remains central to my practice, often depicted without markers of identity. Through this, I aim to create a sense of timelessness, where the figure is not bound to a specific place or culture, but exists as a vessel of internal experience. DIVULGE Divulge is a reflection on the moment of inner rupture—when the body carries what cannot be spoken. My work attempts to capture this state through posture, where tension, compression, and stillness reveal an internal struggle. The figure becomes a site of conflict, suspended between endurance and release. Each form holds a sense of resistance, as if caught in the act of either preserving itself or surrendering to what it contains. Through this, I am not representing identity, but the condition of being—raw, unresolved, and in motion.