Culture, Technology, Identity Collide in New PNCA Art Exhibition

News Desk

Islamabad: The Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) is set to host “Seeing, ? (Seen): Reframing the Moving Image in Pakistan”, a groundbreaking international exhibition that explores the use of film, video, and new media as tools of resistance, disruption, and cultural reimagination.

The exhibition brings together contemporary artists from both Pakistan and the United Kingdom and will open with a public reception on July 30. The event will be inaugurated by Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, and will feature an artist panel discussion ahead of the formal launch. The exhibition will remain open to the public until August 8, 2025, and can be visited daily from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (excluding Saturdays) at the PNCA galleries in Islamabad.

Curated by Islamabad-based curator and designer Sarah Rajper, the exhibition is the outcome of her participation in the Art Exchange: Moving Image curatorial fellowship, supported by the British Council and organised by UK-based LUX and the Art South Asia Project. The year-long fellowship included mentorship and research engagements at leading institutions such as Tate Modern, Somerset House, Barbican Centre, and the British Film Institute.

Seeing, ? (Seen) repositions the moving image as a potent medium for examining memory, identity, and temporality in a rapidly digitizing world. The featured works interrogate how visual culture influences perception in the contemporary era.

The exhibition showcases works by Pakistani artists Abdul Hadi, Farida Batool, Kaiser Irfan, Mahnoor Ali Shah, M4HK, Rabeeha Adnan, and Ujala Khan, alongside UK-based artist duo John Wood and Paul Harrison. Additional pieces have been sourced from the British Council Art Collection.

A dynamic public engagement programme will run parallel to the exhibition, offering talks, panel discussions, workshops, and lectures centered on themes such as technology, identity, film, and social reflection.

Organised in collaboration with the Lahore Digital Arts Festival, this initiative represents a significant moment in Pakistan’s contemporary art scene and highlights the power of cross-cultural collaboration in nurturing creative and critical discourse.