Young artists explore self and culture

Exhibit highlights how contemporary artists are redefining identity in changing social landscape

KARACHI:

Art Citi Gallery's latest group exhibition, "Unfolding Identities," brings together emerging artists who examine how personal spaces, cultural memories and everyday objects shape their sense of self. Through a blend of textiles, graphite, and print based work, the show highlights how contemporary artists are redefining identity in a changing social landscape.

Talking with Express Tribune Artist Aahwer Nasir says her work reflects the quiet, emotional negotiation of living in a joint-family system.

"The things closest to my heart become part of my art," she shared. "In a joint family, your identity gets mixed I don't have my own room, everything is shared. Even my fabrics come in pieces.My identity feels scattered."

Her embroidery-based pieces bring domestic objects a basket, a chair, even stored food into conversation with the idea of personal space, showing how small belongings become symbols of individuality.

Artist Amna Qamar, working with graphite on buraqam, focuses on how personal memories blur over time.

"Memories fade, they lose their shape," she explained, adding that she even incorporates personal notes in her pieces.

Her work brings a quiet stillness, reminding viewers how fragile memory can be.

Through drawings and prints, Iman Ahmed reflects on the blending of colonial influences with present-day Pakistani aesthetics.

"What does it mean to be Pakistani," she asked, "when our homes still have British wallpapers or Iranian carpets? We mix all these things and somehow call it our culture."

Her work, inspired by a historic photograph of a British-era drawing room in Sialkot, examines how aspirations and identities continue to echo the past.

A show about fragments, belonging and self-definition

"Unfolding Identities" stands out for its thoughtful exploration of how young artists interpret identity not as one fixed idea, but as something formed through memories, shared spaces, and evolving cultural references.

The exhibition brings fresh creative energy, offering viewers a glimpse into how today's generation is expressing its place in society through art.