Monster
Autobiographical work, made before and after open heart surgery. Drawing, painting, literature, music, photography and experimental film ~ the body as archive.
Monster
Monster is an ongoing autobiographical body of work created before and after major open heart surgery. Spanning drawing, painting, photography, literature, music, and experimental film, the project examines the body as both archive and spectacle; a site of memory, transformation, survival, and reinvention.
At its core, Monster explores the contradictions of embodiment; the body as fragile and resilient, grotesque and beautiful, erotic and wounded. Through self representation and personal narrative, the work confronts mortality, desire, vulnerability, and the psychological aftermath of physical trauma.
The project encompasses large-scale charcoal drawings, photography, and literary works. Executed on 300gsm Fabriano watercolour paper, the drawings possess a raw physicality that mirrors the body’s scars and imperfections. The photographic works are printed on archival paper, preserving intimate records of a body in transition and recovery.
Neither self portrait nor documentary, Monster occupies a space between confession and performance, transforming personal experience into a broader meditation on survival, identity, and the enduring capacity of the human body to endure, adapt, and become.
The Monster soundtrack, recorded as part of the project, is available to stream.
Cat Scan
Cat Scan is a private series of nine large~scale charcoal self~portraits made between January 2025 and July 2026. Because of the nature of the work, this project is password protected. To view it, visitors need to ask for a password ~ please request access by emailing zubair.ansari.artist@gmail.com.
New writings, images, recordings, and film fragments will be added here as the project unfolds.