Rehana Mangi (b. 1986, Larkana; lives and works in Lahore) is a Pakistani artist whose work reimagines the legacy of…
Rehana Mangi (b. 1986, Larkana; lives and works in Lahore) is a Pakistani artist whose work reimagines the legacy of miniature painting through a hybridised material practice. Educated at the National College of Arts, Lahore, and Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Mangi’s work navigates drawing, collage, embroidery, and the unconventional use of human hair as threads of connection between memory, body, and tradition.
“Inherited from my grandmother, I unconsciously collected fallen hair as a safeguard against black magic. During a period of illness and emotional withdrawal in college, I began drawing grids as therapy, later weaving my own hair into wasli to mark loss, healing, and my village’s weaving traditions. Floral and butterfly motifs from childhood memories in Larkana became metaphors of transformation, allowing what was lost to take on new meaning.”
The work exhibited here from The Garden Series continues this ongoing investigation into embodiment and material memory, compelling viewers to consider how the personal and the traditional entangle through sustained acts of making.
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Human Hair on Charsuti Cloth
44 x 60 in | 111.8 x 152.4 cm
2025
Currently on view at Another Milestone until 06.01.26.
