Shehr O Funn

LB01 Artists

Hamra Abbas

Black Square explores the motifs of interpretation and intervention through the phenomenology of colour. As such, colour is often enough deployed as a symbol (as in a flag or an object of devotion) or a metaphor (signifying moods and temperaments) to represent shared ideals, and to mark the difference in respect to the “other.” This differential politics of colour is especially important to understand in the context of a society, like Pakistan that has sought ... More

LB01 Artists

Shahzia Sikander

Parallax is a monumental, three- channel single image audio-visual animation created from hundreds of original hand-drawn paintings by Shahzia Sikander. Created in 2013 for Sharjah Biennial 11, Parallax examines contested histories of colonialism, mechanisms of power and cultural authority, and tensions over the control of trade routes in Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Movement of resources and commodities, naval warfare, and the East India Company underlie the work. Trenchant historical symbols are given shifting identities as they come together to cultivate new associations through velocity and magnitude. The animation’s original score is created in collaboration with the 2017 ... More

LB01 Artists

Imran Qureshi

Qureshi is renowned for further developing an aesthetic derived from miniature painting which flourished in Mughal courts of the sixteenth century. Incorporating elements of the natural world, such as foliage he often juxtaposes them with imagery alluding to bloodshed and violence. Thus integrating contemporary themes with motifs derived from traditional miniature painting. Qureshi has exhibited at major biennales and museums worldwide. His work is held in the permanent collections of major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

LB01 Sites

Shahi Hammam

The 17th century Shahi Hammam (Royal Baths) fell into disuse during the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire. The 1,000 square meter complex was recently restored and conserved over two years. These interventions include the exposure, conservation and display of the original waterworks, drainage and heating networks as well as the historic floor level, restoration of the original entrance, internal chambers and architectural features including provisions for internal and external illumination. The original frescoes, dating from the Mughal period, were also conserved.

LB01 Artists

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat (b. 1957, Qazvin, Iran) lives and works in New York City. Neshat’s photographs and films offer a glimpse of the cultural, religious and political realities that shape the identities of Muslim women worldwide. Turbulent marks a departure from still photography toward video installation, and was the artist’s first attempt at focusing on issues of gender in relation to the social structure of Islamic Iran. The main subject of the work is an inquiry into the absence of Iranian women from musical practice (women have often been banned from taking part in such activity, while men are free to ... More

LB01 Artists

Firoz Mahmud

Mahmud’s artistic practice is realized through various mediums such as painting, installation and photography that engage with his cultural and political heritage. For LB01, in the Soaked Dream project, the artist exhibited especially designed “seeing devices.” The work urged audiences to think about issues of labour and visibility today in the global South. Mahmud was a participant at Rijksakademie VB Kunsten, Amsterdam, and has a PhD from the Tokyo University of Arts, an MFA from Tama Art ... More

LB01 Artists

Atif Khan

For LB01, the artist exhibited work from a series that revolves around nostalgia and memories arising from the artist’s teenage years when there was only one channel on TV, with an eight- hour transmission, and watching it was the only option available. Khan has had an illustrious career as a print-maker that spans over twenty years. Often making use of Mughal iconography, Atif Khan intervenes into time, from the present day to a few hundred ... More