A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.
Portrait of a person indoors

On This Page

Lali Khalid

Full-Time Visiting Artist

Contact

Bio

Lali Khalid is a visual artist living and working in Chicago. She holds a B.F.A. in printmaking from the National College of Arts in Lahore (2003) and an M.F.A. in Photography from Pratt Institute (2009) where she was a Fulbright Scholar. Lali was born in Pakistan and immigrated to U.S. in 2011. Khalid uses her work as a tool to explore themes of diaspora, identity, family, immigration, and home in her own life and the lives of the people she photographs. Her images depict and document cultural and private conflicts, as well as emotive effects of natural light, through quiet, narrative allusions. She has shown her work in many galleries throughout Europe, Pakistan, and the US.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

This foundational course introduces students to photography as a tool for creative expression and critical inquiry. Through hands-on assignments, students develop technical skills in camera operation, composition, and digital printing while exploring photography¿s evolving nature and impact on perception. Readings, screenings, and discussions provide a critical framework for analyzing images¿both personal and cultural. Emphasizing both conceptual growth and practical application, the course encourages experimentation across genres and prepares students for advanced photographic study. Required for all subsequent photo courses.

Class Number

1571

Credits

3

Description

This foundational course introduces students to photography as a tool for creative expression and critical inquiry. Through hands-on assignments, students develop technical skills in camera operation, composition, and digital printing while exploring photography¿s evolving nature and impact on perception. Readings, screenings, and discussions provide a critical framework for analyzing images¿both personal and cultural. Emphasizing both conceptual growth and practical application, the course encourages experimentation across genres and prepares students for advanced photographic study. Required for all subsequent photo courses.

Class Number

1524

Credits

3

Description

This foundational course introduces students to photography as a tool for creative expression and critical inquiry. Through hands-on assignments, students develop technical skills in camera operation, composition, and digital printing while exploring photography¿s evolving nature and impact on perception. Readings, screenings, and discussions provide a critical framework for analyzing images¿both personal and cultural. Emphasizing both conceptual growth and practical application, the course encourages experimentation across genres and prepares students for advanced photographic study. Required for all subsequent photo courses.

Class Number

1572

Credits

3

Description

This foundational course introduces students to photography as a tool for creative expression and critical inquiry. Through hands-on assignments, students develop technical skills in camera operation, composition, and digital printing while exploring photography¿s evolving nature and impact on perception. Readings, screenings, and discussions provide a critical framework for analyzing images¿both personal and cultural. Emphasizing both conceptual growth and practical application, the course encourages experimentation across genres and prepares students for advanced photographic study. Required for all subsequent photo courses.

Class Number

1589

Credits

3

Description

This course explores the techniques and aesthetics of black and white photography, from exposure to final prints. Students will develop skills in analog darkroom and inkjet printing, contrast control, lighting techniques, and the impact of scale, paper, and film choices. Hands-on projects and darkroom experimentation will deepen technical abilities and creative expression. An adjustable film camera is required.

Class Number

1515

Credits

3

Description

This course introduces students to self-portraiture and complex intersections of race, representation, and identity in contemporary photography. Students will be analyzing the impact of historical visual narratives on contemporary perspectives while developing critical skills to deconstruct visual representations, specifically examining how different media constructs, and portrays race and identity, through a stereotypical, myopic lens. Students will be introduced to artists from all over the world, particularly photographers from marginalized communities who challenge stereotypes and amplify underrepresented voices.

Class Number

1539

Credits

3