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Curatorial Note
Noor brings together six artists whose works explore the nuances of memory, identity, and symbolism. Drawing on Indian poet Gulzar’s words: "Dreams heed no borders, the eyes need no visas. With eyes shut, I walk across the line in time, all the time,” which suggests that vision and dreams can transcend or reimagine one’s reality, the exhibition creates a space where light, both literal and metaphorical, illuminates the paths of artists Ajea Zahid, Feroza Hakeem, Khadija Akhtar, Shahid Hassan Boni, Zafar Ali, and Suleman Faisal, as they pursue their exploration of the human experience through a collective debut at Pristine Contemporary.
In Noor, their works function as a kind of spiritual geometry, mapping the contours of place and memory. Ali’s pieces emphasize the tensions between the seen and unseen forces occupying our minds, while Faisal’s objects, dissected and refracted through Plexiglas, speak to the numerous, often invisible ways our environments shape us. Together, their works are an invitation to engage with the delicate, sometimes fractured, nature of human existence—where clarity and obscurity coexist, and light functions not only as illumination but as revelation.
Despite their different methodologies—one abstract and the other architectural—both Ali and Faisal’s work is rooted in the act of revealing. In this, they share a kinship with the broader theme of Noor, where light becomes both a symbol and a process of discovery, allowing the viewer to look deeper and beyond what is immediately apparent. Their works emphasize that there is always more to our knowledge, whether it be the invisible workings of the soul or the mechanical structures of the everyday world.
All six artists in the exhibition invite us to engage with light as a source that transcends the surface, revealing the complexities of identity, memory, and existence. Whether it’s Zahid’s exploration of internal stillness, Hakeem’s portrayal of resilience, Akhtar’s surreal transformations, Boni’s urban regeneration, Ali’s spiritual journey, or Faisal’s sculptural explorations.
Taken together, the works in Noor explore light not just as an aesthetic device, but as a way of seeing—of uncovering that which is concealed, whether it be the vulnerabilities of the self, the resilience of the body, or the unseen forces that shape the world. All six artists here, in different ways, make space for a kind of seeing that is both introspective and expansive, looking inward, but also into something larger, something shared.
Words by Shreya Ajmani