Farheen HaQ
Farheen Haq is a South Asian Muslim Canadian multidisciplinary artist. Her artistic practice explores a range of topics, frequently related to identity and culture. Haq's works often engage her community, and make use of gestures that reference spiritual and domestic rituals.
Biographical information
Farheen Haq was born in 1977 in Niagara, Ontario, a region to which her mother immigrated from Pakistan during her parents' arranged marriage. Haq holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development from the University of Toronto, completed in 1998, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa, completed in 2000. In 2005, Haq received their Master of Fine Arts from York University. Haq currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia on Lkwungen Territory with her husband Chris, daughter Aisha, and son Cairo.Artistic works
Farheen Haq has exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her works have examined family ties, cultural histories, identity, and spirituality, among other themes.| Exhibition Title | Date | Gallery | Location |
| Who Knows | 2002 | Gallery at the Mac | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Breathing Space | 2004 | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Endless Tether | 2004; 2007; 2008 | Lennox Contemporary Gallery; Khyber Centre for the Arts; Struts Gallery | Toronto, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Sackville, New Brunswick |
| Image Bar | 2005 | Blackwood Gallery | Mississauga, Ontario |
| Breach | 2006 | Trinity Square Video Gallery | Toronto, Ontario |
| Remember | Oct. 15, 2006 - Oct. 29, 2006 | Ministry of Casual Living | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Farheen HAQ | Sept. 16, 2006 - Nov. 26, 2006 | Kelowna Art Gallery | Kelowna, British Columbia |
| Fray | Feb. 21, 2008 - Mar. 22, 2008 | Gallery TPW | Toronto, Ontario |
| Alone Together | 2008 | Niagara Artist's Company | St. Catharines, Ontario |
| Being Home | Sept. 18, 2015 - Nov. 6, 2015; July 15, 2016 - Aug. 27, 2016; 2016 | Comox Valley Art Gallery; The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art; Flux Media Gallery | Courtenay, British Columbia; Kelowna, British Columbia; Victoria, British Columbia |
| Sentirse en casa | 2018 | Casa Cultura Los Colores Gallery | Medellin, Colombia |
| The Ground Above Us | July 26 - Sept. 14, 2019 | UVic Legacy Gallery | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Sept. 1, 2022 - Nov. 19 2022; June 23, 2023 - Dec. 31, 2023; Jul. 6, 2024 - Mar. 8, 2025 | Campbell River Art Gallery; Art Gallery of Hamilton; Reach Gallery | Campbell River, British Columbia; Hamilton, Ontario; Abbotsford, British Columbia |
Community involvement and recognition
Haq has engaged with personal, local, and national communities through her art practice, and she has also received recognition for her artistic contributions.Her artistic works, which often incorporate family and culture as themes, have sometimes included involvement from her family members. Haq's family has also been included in programming associated with her exhibitions.
She has given several free artist talks at educational institutions, including at the Vancouver Island School of Art and the University of Victoria.
In 2021, Haq appeared as an interviewee in Saida Ouchaou-Ozarowski's film In Full Voice, a National Film Board of Canada documentary about the experiences of Muslim Canadian Women.
In 2014, they were longlisted for the Sobey Art Award, the largest award for contemporary art in Canada.