Utställning Galleri Svea, Gamla Stan, Stockholm — 5–11 juni 2026
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Art Exhibition — Galleri Svea, 5–11 juni 2026
Works in the exhibition — watercolours by Zakia Khan
Series · Watercolour · 30 × 42 cm

Imagining
Lofoten

I have never been to Lofoten. These paintings are inspired by my great-grandmother's diary from the 1890s — a teenager who left Oslo to work as a governess for a lighthouse keeper on the remote island of Skomvær, off the coast of Røst. Her diary is gripping. These are how I imagine the scene, the weather, the light.

Imagining Lofoten · II
Skomvær II
Imagining Lofoten · III
Skomvær III
Imagining Lofoten · IV
Skomvær IV
Imagining Lofoten · V
Skomvær V
Payment by SumUp (secure card payment) or Swish. All paintings include frame and shipping within Sweden. Contact for international shipping. Each painting is an original watercolour — no prints.
Series II · Watercolours · incl. frame & shipping · original

Birches —
Watercolours

Birch trees painted from imagination — dozens of them, over years. Birches remind me of childhood summers in Norway and forest walks in Sweden. I rarely strive for realistic colours, rather a mood and tranquillity through variations in colour and texture. I paint the same image again and again, looking for something I cannot quite name but recognise when I find it.

Birches — Watercolours · II
Björkar II
Birches — Watercolours · III
Björkar III
Birches — Watercolours · IV
Björkar IV
Birches — Watercolours · V
Björkar V
Birches — Watercolours · VI
Björkar VI
Birches — Watercolours · VII
Björkar VII
Birches — Watercolours · VIII
Björkar VIII
Series V · Watercolours · unframed · incl. shipping · original

Lucca —
Watercolours

Painted in and around Lucca, Tuscany — a city of arcades, pigeons, bicycles and afternoon light. Piazzas, courtyards, narrow streets with archways overhead. The particular beauty of Italian stone in sunlight. Plus a winter forest and an Umbrian landscape from nearby.

Lucca — Watercolours · II
Lucca II
Lucca — Watercolours · III
Lucca III
Lucca — Watercolours · IV
Lucca IV
Lucca — Watercolours · V
Lucca V
Lucca — Watercolours · VI
Lucca VI
Lucca — Watercolours · VII
Lucca VII
Lucca — Watercolours · VIII
Lucca VIII
Lucca — Watercolours · IX
Lucca IX
Series IV · Watercolours · incl. frame & shipping · original

Nordic
Landscapes

Swedish seasons — frozen lakes, autumn forests, red farmhouses in the snow, sunsets that last for hours. These landscapes are painted from memory and imagination, returning again and again to the same subjects to find the light I am looking for.

Nordic Landscapes · II
Nordic II
Nordic Landscapes · III
Nordic III
Nordic Landscapes · IV
Nordic IV
Nordic Landscapes · V
Nordic V
Nordic Landscapes · VI
Nordic VI
Nordic Landscapes · VII
Nordic VII
Nordic Landscapes · VIII
Nordic VIII
Series III · Watercolours · unframed · 56 × 76 cm

Nature —
Watercolours

Landscapes real and imagined — sea, sky, forest, lake and the Umbrian hills. These are larger watercolours, unframed. Each one is an original. I return to the same subjects again and again, looking for the light and mood I cannot quite capture but keep reaching for.

Nature — Watercolours · II
Nature II
Nature — Watercolours · III
Nature III
Nature — Watercolours · IV
Nature IV
Nature — Watercolours · V
Nature V
Coming soon

More series
in progress

Nature — watercolours · Acrylic gelli prints · Umbria landscapes. More paintings added regularly. Join the mailing list to be notified.

Birches
Coming soon
Acrylic Gelli Prints
Nature
Coming soon
Nature — Watercolours
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About the artist
Zakia Khan — Zax

Zakia Khan —
Zax

I am primarily a watercolourist but also work in other media. My inspiration is nature — often imagined. I aim to convey the feeling of a bird as it sits in my hand, the fur of a cheetah that I once petted through a wire fence, the coarse texture of an elephant's trunk.

My work is repetitive. I paint the same or similar images again and again. I seldom strive for perfection or accuracy, but try to capture a feeling, a light or an atmosphere — testing colours and textures to see how far and in which directions I can push the mood of a painting.

I paint the same image again and again, looking for something I cannot quite name but recognise when I find it.

I grew up in the United Kingdom with Norwegian and Indian parents, moved to Sweden in the 1980s, and have painted in Asia, Europe and Central America. I spend much of the year in Umbria, Italy, painting in solitude near Monte Santa Maria Tiberina.

Labarotta Retreats → Instagram Facebook Konstboken
Buy a painting

All paintings shown are originals available to purchase. Payment by SumUp (secure card) or Swish. I also take commissions — get in touch and we'll talk through what's possible.

Paintings shipped carefully from Stockholm. Framed paintings: frame included. Unframed watercolours: contact for framing options. Contact for international shipping.
Payment
Swish QR — Art by Zax
Swish · +46 76 024 32 44
Pay by Swish or SumUp (card). No account needed for either.
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Retreat deposits

Reserve a place on a Labarotta retreat in Umbria. €300 deposit, fully refundable until 30 days before.

Dolce far Niente · 25–31 July · €300 → Art as Poetry · 6–12 Sept · €300 → Read more about the retreats →
Om konstnären

Zakia Khan — Zax

Zakia Khan

Jag är i grunden akvarellist men arbetar även i andra tekniker. Min inspiration är naturen — ofta föreställd. Jag försöker förmedla känslan av en fågel som sitter i min hand, pälsen hos en gepard jag en gång smekte genom ett stängsel, den grova strukturen hos en elefants trumsnabel.

Mitt arbete är repetitivt. Jag målar samma eller liknande bilder om och om igen. Jag strävar sällan efter perfektion eller noggrannhet, utan försöker fånga en känsla, ett ljus eller en atmosfär — och testar färger och texturer för att se hur långt jag kan driva stämningen i en målning.

Jag är född 1967 och uppvuxen i Storbritannien med norska och indiska föräldrar. På 1980-talet flyttade jag till Sverige. Jag tillbringar mycket av året i Umbrien, Italien, där jag målar i ensamhet i bergen nära Monte Santa Maria Tiberina.

Just nu ställer jag ut på Galleri Svea, Gamla Stan, Stockholm 5–11 juni 2026. Välkommen! Mer info på Facebook →

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