Born into Hazara family and raised along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, Khadim Ali’s formative years were shaped by…

Born into Hazara family and raised along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, Khadim Ali’s formative years were shaped by histories of movement, memory, and longing for return. His early encounters with the Shahnama—through his grandfather, a traditional reciter of the epic, and through its illustrated manuscripts—left a lasting imprint. Trained in miniature painting at the National College of Arts, Lahore, and in calligraphy at Tehran University, Ali weaves together history, mythology, poetry, and politics. His practice reflects on contemporary realities such as the Afghan civil war, while also drawing from experiences of displacement. As Ali describes his work, “It is a conversation with multiple layers of historic trauma. That’s my kind of self-portrait.”

Curated by Maryam Irfan, Gerd Hamayi—a term drawn from Persian meaning “gathering”—embodies the spirit of collective return and shared histories. The exhibition brings together the National College of Arts’ Miniature Painting Class of 2003, the largest cohort of its kind produced by the institution at the time. Reuniting more than two decades later, and as the National College of Arts marks 150 years of its legacy, the exhibition offers a reflective inquiry into evolving practices, artistic trajectories, and the ways in which time has shaped individual and collective work.
The exhibition features works by Ahsan Jamal, Attiya Shaukat, Ayesha Durrani, Farheen Maqsood, Habiba Zaman Khan, Hajrah Khan, Khadim Ali, Mahreen Zuberi, Mahwish Chishty, Maryam Irfan, Murad Khan Mumtaz, and Shoaib Mahmood.
Presented as part of Chawkandi Art Gallery’s 40-year celebrations, Gerd Hamayi remains on view through 31 December.

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