In February 2023, Aphra worked with students from the School of Arts & Creative Industries, Teesside University and publics for a series of workshops working with a bespoke digital painting application to experiment with Anwar Shemza’s square and circle ‘squircle’ motif. Participants created digital tiles which are drawn together by Aphra and are shared publicly in this animation this summer. More info here: https://mima.art/project/shemza-digital/

The shemza.digital project combines the abstract art of Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) and the contemporary digital practice of Aphra Shemza, the artist’s granddaughter. Launched in collaboration with the computer artist Stuart Batchelor in 2020 and funded by Arts Council England, the shemza.digital project is made for and with the British public. The project creates art that is accessible to all through its educational programme of digital art workshops, hybrid exhibitions and participatory and interactive artworks.