Migration and identity. If there’s one recurring theme throughout most art produced in Pakistan, it’s this, whether it’s the endless pains of colonisation and the Partition or of the ‘new’ migration — the younger generation of Pakistanis moving abroad and re-configuring their identities again. It’s a tale of uprooting, migrating, settling and re-identifying who you are and what that means, from one generation to the next. Always in hopes that this would be the last, where you can finally set your roots and feel like you truly belong. Focused on this notion is an exhibition of larger-than-life works by Shameen Arshad, in a collection titled, ‘Memoirs of a Hybrid’, hosted at the VM Art Gallery in Karachi. Through her works, the artist looks at “the fluidity of identity and the evolving nature of the category Pakistani” according to the exhibit’s description.

You’re standing in the shadows while the artwork is illuminated by a single spotlight. Even the walls are dark. The atmosphere created for VM Art Gallery’s group exhibit, ‘Let There Be Night’ made viewers feel like they were walking through the night and catching glimpses here and there of expressions by a group of diverse and talented artists. The experience of attending this show further enhanced the absorbing artwork on display. The artists whose works were featured included the likes of Amber Arifeen, Anushka Rustomji, Bibi Hajra, Khadijah Rehman, Khadija S. Akhtar, Mohsin Shafi and Noreen Ali. Anushka Rustomjee’s hues of dark blues and greys, with a smattering of gold standing out against the shadows, in her surreal, vivid paintings of the sea and its creatures, blurred the lines between reality and fantasy.

The solo presentation of works by Shameen Arshad, Memoirs of a hybrid, exhibited at VM Art Gallery, highlighted the issue of identity. Anyone who loves Pakistan will find a lot to connect with the artists’ ideas at the exhibition. Basically, the installations looks at the fluidity of identity and the evolving nature of the category “Pakistani”. Stemming from her personal experiences, she explores a confused sense of the self. and various ideas of ownership by giving tangibility to the multi-dimensional yet indeterminate character of that label.

The autobiographical nature of Shameen Arshad’s solo presentation examines identity politics, cultural history and transience of life through a collection of tapestries using unconventional textile-based visualisations. The act of embroidery is deeply rooted in the indigenous and its eventual industrialisation through history. Its evolution was marked in South Asia through colonization, where the artist is anchoring a series of pivotal life experiences as an ideological reclamation that has dominated her sense of self. She is able to travel between the collective history of being Pakistani and a highly personal present, which is defined through a collection of cultural signifiers seen here as mapping an individualised homeland.

A two-person show, Emblems Here, Then and Now, that features works by Amna Suheyl and Haniya Ali Athar, and a group show, Welcome to the Here-after showing works by Abdul Rehman, Quratulain Dar, Shanzey Mir and Sehrish Willayat are exhibited at VM Art Gallery. Through their unique methods of printmaking, Emblems Here, Then and Now takes viewers through the artists’ journey of resolving and defining identities, history and self. Welcome to the Here-after follows each artist into their imagined, recontextualized and alternate realities and histories.

Two young female artists from Lahore recently showcased their prints in an exhibition held at the VM Gallery in Karachi, titled ‘Emblems, Here and Now.’ Amna Suheyl and Haniya Ali Athar are emerging artists who graduated from the National College of Arts in Lahore and majored in printmaking. The two artists capture their individual and communal gender-based experiences in their works. They depict the spaces they inhabit, the objects in their possession, and the familiar faces they encounter, particularly of women around them who they revere.

VM Art Gallery recently hosted ‘Scenic Route’, an exhibition celebrating nature in all of its glory and containing paintings from its permanent collection. Essentially a group show, ‘Scenic Route’ contained artworks from around the globe.

The fourth edition of Champa And Other Intellectuals titled as Who is an Artist?, curated by Emaan Mahmud. The show features works by Noor Unnahar, Sakshi Kumar, Safwan Sabzwari, Syed Areeb Tariq, Hafsa Ashfaque, Ali Reza Dossal, Marium M Habib, Misha Japanwala, Ashir Bhatti, Amber Arifeen, Rabia Ali, Ammara Jabbar, Marjan Baniasadi, Anushka Rustomji and Jahanzeb Safder Khawaja.

As part of their long held contribution to the Pakistan art scene, VM Art Gallery has continued to showcase the emerging talent of Pakistan through group exhibitions held for the past 17 years. There is a wide selection of fresh talent chosen from various art universities all over the country. Many of these artists have gone on to have illustrious careers that span national boundaries. In an exhibition at VM, a select group of alumni were invited back to display their present-day work in a new group exhibition titled ‘Emerged’.

Rabia Zuberi’s sculptures bathe in soft warm lights in a dark sombre room at the VM Art Gallery. The exhibition, titled ‘Forms of Existence’, draws from the gallery’s permanent collection of the artist’s works that were created between 1970 up until 2012.

These exhibitions serve as an homage to the art of sculpture and the women who contributed greatly to its progression in Pakistan. Whether it be a love affair with the earth, or the contemplation of mankind, nature and society, sculpture is the potent chosen form of expression by the artists.

These exhibitions serve as an homage to the art of sculpture and the women who contributed greatly to its progression in Pakistan. Whether it be a love affair with the earth, or the contemplation of mankind, nature and society, sculpture is the potent chosen form of expression by the artists.

These exhibitions serve as an homage to the art of sculpture and the women who contributed greatly to its progression in Pakistan. Whether it be a love affair with the earth, or the contemplation of mankind, nature and society, sculpture is the potent chosen form of expression by the artists.

In the last two decades or so, Karachi in particular and the country in general have seen a delightful increase both in the number of art galleries and artists whose prodigious talents now dazzle art lovers all across Pakistan — and, in some cases, the world. It is thoughtful of the VM Art Gallery that it has come up with a group show titled Emerged, which has been basically arranged in honour of the gallery’s 17-year legacy of the Emerging Talent Exhibition.

Emerged, a group show featuring works by Adnan Mairaj Malik, Arsalan Nasir, Emaan Mahmud, Fahim Rao, Marium Agha, Mohsin Shaikh, Raheela Abro, SM Raza, Shanzay Subzwari and Zehra Fatima Tooba.

This exhibition aims to pay homage to the legendary Pakistani painter Bashir Mirza. His distinguished mark making, interesting subject matter and diverse visual language is a testament to his artistic excellence. By showcasing works spanning over decades, the viewer is given an insight into Mirza’s various realms of explorations and techniques.

The exhibition, Gaaye Gi Dunya Geet Mere [The World Will Sing My Songs], is named after one of the songs she sang for the classic film Mausiqar (1962), which she also performed for the PTV show Tarrannum in the early 1980s. The show enjoyed numerous replays well into the 1990s. The exhibition, by artist Amara Sikandar, aims to honour Noor Jehan’s legacy.

Aptly titled “Gaye Gi Duniya Geet Mere”, Amara Sikandar’s recently concluded exhibition at the VM Gallery in Karachi highlights how Madam predicted the lasting influence of her music in one of her songs. The exhibition underscores the common knowledge that her music remains relevant and thoroughly savored by audiences across generations and borders.

VM Gallery exhibited a group show titled The Tales They Carry featuring works of four female artists, Dua Abbas Rizvi, Razin Rubin, Sarah Mir and Zoila Solomon. Drawing from their personal histories the artists explored the transient nature of home reconciling with the fleeting states of the imagined and the real.

Families are complicated. Yet they hold the key to who we are at our very core and where we come from. They are our roots, our branches; we can choose to break away, but their impact will always remain. This was evident in the latest exhibition at the VM Art Gallery, ‘The Tales They Carry’, one of the two exhibits up for view, which is celebrating young, emerging talent.

Perspectives- An Exploration of Pursuits in Photography is a four-person exhibition hosted by VM Art Gallery, Karachi. Each artist being showcased has a multifaceted photography practice where they balance personal artistic explorations of their travels with commissioned and commercial project contributions.

A group exhibition on photography called ‘Perspectives’ recently opened at the VM Art Gallery in Karachi. The easily identifiable distinct styles demonstrated by the four artists displaying their works prove how, just like with any other medium in art, photography can also be employed as a tool to raise voice through a range of aesthetics.

In A Look has paintings by Zoya Manan, Aiza Ahmed and Neshmia Salahuddin.

The Tales They Carry showcasing works by Dua Abbas Rizvi, Razin Rubin, Sarah Mir and Zoila Solomon.

Fish Meets Grill by Veera Rustomji at VM Art Gallery Karachi

Fish Meets Grill, a solo exhibition by Veera Rustomji. This is a story of disparate elements connected through autobiographical and fantastical accounts.

Fish Meets Grill, a solo exhibition by Veera Rustomji. This is a story of disparate elements connected through autobiographical and fantastical accounts.