b'&Analytical EyeSensitive Spirit Guide AFNANS ARTArtists look at the world much di erently fromHe came from a the average person.Their mode of expressionlarge family in Bangladesh, may vary, but whether it takes the form of writ- Afnan began. And told me the story of how tenwordsorvisualinterpretations,theartistoneparticularEid[aholyMuslimholiday], makesobservations,experiencesevents,andthere was no money for gifts and his siblings interprets life in singular ways.This uniquenesswere crying.The passion he brought to that explains part of what makes their art appealing. story was the genesis of my interest in social Life experience only enhances artistic expres- issues.I realized how privileged I was to be sion.Call it perspective or wisdom, but manyliving in Canada when other people werentelds respected artists in alloften have older ageso lucky.And I felt young people like me as an advantage, correcting the faux pas of earlyshould be concerned.expressions after compiling lessons over time. Many people, of all ages and back-But there are exceptions to every rule.Andgrounds,mayfeelconcernabout whileAfnanKhanspoetrymaysuggesthesocial injustice.But few act on those holds a unique view on life, his youth certainlyfeelings;Afnanresolvedthathe belies the depth of his art and his developmentwould.as an artist. Ihadfriendsfromdi erent Myrst priority is to put a lot of meaning incultures, and I saw that some expe-to my work, the 14-year old told me.I want torienced discrimination.I had family get a message across, and at the same time allowoutside Canada, and heard about the the reader to understand me as well. challenges they faced.I felt it was A short excerpt from one of his works, Aimportant that I speak up, and pos-BridgebetweentheMindandtheHeart,sibly have a positive e ect on those shows that his thoughts travel deep beneathlives.the super cial: Before his art could fullyower, Afnan The world as we know it is a source, gatheredmoreexperience,travelling It is a home, a safeguard for everyone, through AustraliaandNewZealand, Each of us stride through our individual wars, Holland,Germany,Austria,andthe Constantly combatting the nightmares that haveCzech Republic. At the same time, he awaken from our deepest thoughts. began to read voraciously.The reading helped stimulate my im-Afnan discovered the joy of expressing hisagination, and also expanded my vocabu-feelings through writing quite by accident. lary.I wasnt a reader as a kid, but now I Mytravelsinspiredmetowrite,heex- read almost constantly.plained.My parents were anxious that I had theHe began to express his feelings through opportunity to explore the world and have mypoetry.Still, there were hurdles before oth-eyes open to what was happening there.My momerscouldhearhismessages.Fateagain suggested I keep a journal.Before that, Id neverintervened.written anything. I was shy in front of crowds, he re-For three weeks in 2015, the young man travelledcounted.But in Grade 6, a poet came to with UK-based relatives through Europe. our school, and that inspired me to present WestoppedinFrance,Italy,Belgium,andwhat Id done in front of the class.That Switzerland, he recalled.It opened my eyesgave me validation.to a number of social issues, which I got to seeAfnans reading list continues to expand. I read a lot of Shakespeare and Edgarrst-hand on the trip.Clearly,AfnansvisionthroughouttheAllenPoe,andIlikeRickRiordan,who vacation ranged well beyond Europes scen- writes books about mythologythats an-ery and historical sites.His deeper vision wasother interest of mine.inspired by his fathers recollections of growing up in poverty. Please turn to page 4FOCUS - FEBRUARY 20213'