Exploring the intersection of art and activism | The Express Tribune

Dear Salima Hashmi,

If I call Narrators of Dissonance an exhibition featuring four women artists, curated by another woman of similar attributes —South Asian, multi-talented and visionary —it would only be partial information. To fully describe the premise of the show, this January at the 1×1 Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, one must delve into the role of women artists in creating socio-political awareness and addressing global communities. The show challenges aesthetic rhetoric and questions power structures —cultural, political and others. It dismisses established descriptions of art, artists and womanhood worldwide.

While conforming to Iqbal that “The picture that this world presents, From the woman gets her tints and scents; She is the lyre that can impart, Pathos and warmth to the human heart”, your exhibition challenges him simultaneously when he claims that “Like Plato [she] can’t hold discourse, Nor can with thunderous voice declaim”. Instead, women today can roar louder than lions if they choose to. With a stroke of a brush, blotch of colour, stitch of thread and click of a camera, they speak to audiences, reprimand deniers and talk eristics into submission.

Your chosen narrators —Ruby Chishti, Sania Samad, Aisha Abid Hussain and Nida Bangash —embody this idea. Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk notes that narrators are mysterious figures filled with tenderness, the modest form of love. Your narrators are both tender and robust, weaving distinct perspectives into a cohesive whole. This unique worldview implies a profound responsibility, highlighting the far-reaching effects of global decisions.

The message resonates, especially considering the artists’ global experiences and displacement from their native cities. The narratorial attitudes in the exhibition are impactful, with diversity and authenticity stealing the show. Analysing the works reveals an intentionally ambiguous tone, oscillating between neutrality and opinion, friendliness and hostility, empathy and irony.

This ambiguity injects dynamism into the visuality, form and medium employed by the artists. Pakistani feminist aesthetics characteristically transcend rigid classifications, expanding the artistic discourse to encompass humanity. The striking works in this exhibition boast layered meanings, inviting complex interpretations. Ruby Chishti’s constructions, crafted from recycled clothes, serve as a sermon on sustainable fashion while challenging traditional body types and roles associated with women. Warriors at Work reimagines the iconic Venus of Willendorf, subverting the conventional label of fertility goddess.

Sania Samad juxtaposes the Pakistani flags with recurring imagery of black cats, parrots and sparrows, evoking mystery, magic and sometimes misfortune. Outstanding craftsmanship, embroidery and beading elevate the visual impact. The rhythmic repetition has a cathartic appeal, leaving viewers pondering the meaning behind her Kashmiri phirans embellished with shell casings, needles, black lotuses and loose red threads. Is she warning of danger or embracing pain and loss? Her works are both cautionary and reflective of difficult emotions.

Aisha Abid Hussain explores book arts, crafting intimate, biographical pieces that imbue paper with historical weight. Her mark-making, scribbling and note-taking are often cryptic, yet revealing. Nida Bangash subverts convention with photography, producing provocative images that emanate tension and anxiety. The latent threat of chaos hangs heavy, should the depicted submissive figure decide to rise up and cast off its burdens, turning domestic scenes into politically charged images.

Mrs Hashmi, your career in art and academia serves as a powerful commentary on Pakistan’s complex landscape. Your legacy, marked by cultural awareness and political insight, has inspired artists. The four featured artists, your former students at NCA, exemplify the values of social justice and activism you’ve instilled in the generations of artists. They’ve learned to be sensitive to injustices, to draconian laws and spectacles of oppression affecting “all men, women and children”.

More power to you and the clan that you raised as artists, thinkers and conscientious global citizens.

Bano,

November, 2025