Fareh Malik | Creative Process Blog

THE SPACE BETWEEN US

My name is Fareh Malik, and I have the honour of being one of the selected artists to produce something for Aeris Korper’s Here&Now Festival. I am a hip-hop dancer/choreographer, but also mainly a poet and writer. This means that I often find myself somewhere in the in-between of things. I call this “the grey”. A part of me has always hated this; not being able to stand on the solid ground of many parts of who I am. This has been true for my identity as well.

The image of this blog post is done by a friend, Sam Estrabillo. It is one of several pieces of art that have inspired me to look towards my own fragmentation. When I see it, it always feels like commonality through all the chaos and breaking and separating. When I look at it, I see common-ground. A hopeful throughline between us, our homeland, our ancestors, and culture.

Being a part of the Pakistani and Muslim diaspora whilst in Canada is something I’ve tried to explore more in my work lately. What does it mean to be “from” a place, but never actually been there? How much home is reserved for you when you have been detached this long? How does the gradient of your ancestry dry out—like an old marker—as you continue your bloodline on the other side of the world? I don’t really know the answers to these questions, and I don’t pretend to. I think it’s okay that I don’t. But a part of me wants to get to a place where I, at least, do not feel the need to ask. Historically, there is only one way I tend to be able to get to this state, and that is through art.

I wanted to put together DROWN—my hip-hop dance production and offering for this festival featuring myself, and also the wonderful Chantal Carrillo, Janessa Pudwell, and Chester Espino as choreographers—for selfish reasons, really. Sure, I hope it will be beautiful, but I also want to explore my own identity and community through this dance work. This is, in some ways, an ode to my ancestors, and my future children: I, a second-generation immigrant, hope to be the bridge between you all. I want to make my blood a village. There is an ocean that separates Canada and Pakistan, and it looks grey in my eyes. I don’t know if a bridge can stretch that far. Right now, I am drowning in this sea. I am trying to learn how to swim.

This Curiosities blog was written by Fareh Malik, who is presenting his work “Drown” in Aeris Körper’s 2025 Here&Now festival. Tickets can be purchased here.