@rishamsyed “Dil Na-Umid to Nahi”
Dil na-umid to nahi nakam hi to hai
Lambi hai gham ki shaam magar shaam hi to hai…
The heart has not lost hope, but just a fight that is all
The night of suffering is long, but it is just a night after all…
(Faiz Ahmed Faiz)
Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poem ‘Dil Na-Umid tau Nahi’ talks about hope, struggle, and resilience, a night at the end of which is light, reflecting times in the lives of women artists when political events and personal situations deeply affected their works. This exhibition pays homage to the lives of thirty-eight living women artists who looked for hope and resilience through times that were not always palatable. Their works are a testimony to their strengths.
This exhibition presents an overview of the last five decades of multiple generations of women from different times, ages, eras, and locations from all over Pakistan, coming together to share their stories. The artists have used diverse mediums and subject matters addressing concerns that go beyond gender and location by providing a lens through which they looked at the world around them, featuring works from across Pakistan and the international diaspora.
Faiz International Festival takes pride in acknowledging the strengths and celebrations of these artists who have used humour, sarcasm, material play, directness, and at all times courage to express their experiences of the world around them.
This exhibition is curated by Saulat Ajmal, Sheraz Faisal and assisted by Asad Ullah Khan (Rohtas 2 Gallery).
