Words by Jessica Eva

Exuding elegance and juxtaposing confidence and vulnerability, Anisah’s signature nude figures are a refined celebration of the modern woman. Her celebration of imperfection and seeking beauty in diversity is exactly aligned with the vision of Public Figure so it made perfect sense to commission her work on our collaborative beach towel design.

 

Art is to Anisah equal parts expression and meditation. From a young age she found herself conveying her inner feelings through her art, manifesting her emotions onto canvas as a form of therapy. This talent was cultivated by her parents who not only encouraged her to pursue art through study but being nature lovers themselves, fostered in her a deep curiosity in biodiversity and a keen eye for the subtle details of the natural world. In her own words -  ‘how nature is the ultimate artist’.

 

This process of observation and expression is behind Anisah’s approach to the Zodiac Towel collection. The process began with looking at the personality traits of the zodiac and studying both the strengths and weaknesses of each sign. In her signature linework style she then set out depict these traits with repetitive patterns, layering the figures to convey the depths of each sign. This is a technique she has been using since she began creating her nudes, “looking at the shadows and the curves of the body and the shape of the woman… creating positive and negative space, giving the figure movement and depth.”

 

As Anisah conveys this celebration of the female form, the idea of the towel makes sense. She acknowledges that for a female being on the beach can feel exposing, however by applying her work to the towel the idea is to convey a sense of empowerment. A piece that can be thought of as a tool to hide our imperfections is in this instance now celebrating them.

  

I was thinking of doing the towels quite simply without so many patterns and Bella said ‘no, the reason you do these patterns and this kind of things is because of the cracks, the imperfections. That’s what makes it beautiful’... As soon as Bella said it was about sustainability, being eco friendly I said I’m all about that

 

ON FEMALE EMPOWERMENT...

I’ve always been inspired by women around me, especially those who are confident within themselves. It doesn’t have to be in the way that they look but comfortable in their own skin (and) the way that they come across. I think seeing that in women is really important, especially growing up with body image issues. I’ve always been into body positivity and I wanted to capture that essence with my nudes of celebrating the female form.

 

ON CELEBRATING IMPERFECTIONS...

Its so weird how everything came together, that these patterns that I kept doing were almost like a representation of the imperfections of being human. Like we all have cracks none of us are perfect and at the end of the day it’s about learning how to be comfortable in your own skin and see the beauty in our own imperfections.

 

I draw the forms the way I see them, combining them and giving them shape yet respecting their own natural form. It’s also to do with the nudes express emotions such as confidence, vulnerability and freedom. The layering of them depicts the inner beauty of women and the interconnectedness we have with each other. Like layering different sides of ourselves.

 

ON PERSPECTIVE

Growing up I would never look at a whole picture of a forest. My Dad would always tell me about all of the little plants and the little things that were going on and he would make me pay attention to the little detail. So as a person I  walk through life looking at the detail instead of looking at something like a flat picture. There’s so much more depth in things going on behind it.

That happens growing up and body image stuff, someone can work so hard on their body and have the perfect body but it’s like, what’s going on inside as well?

 

So often these days we’re criticized by our so called inspection so its been a self reflection for me because I’ve personally been through my own struggles with body image. So it’s been a form of therapy for me.  

 

The Zodiac Towel collection is made ethically in India from 100% sustainably sourced cotton. Available exclusively at Public Figure for Pre-order with expected delivery in early December.

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Immerse yourself in Anisah's world of colour on her instagram @anisahnasir