Written by: Sana Shahid
Posted on: April 18, 2025 | 
Dance of a Wounded Peacock by Sujjal Kayani
In a city often bustling with noise, deadlines, and routine, the exhibition “Her World” is like a deep breath, a moment of reflection and a raw truth. This group exhibition, featuring works from over two dozen female artists, is not just an art show. It’s an emotional, cultural and spiritual journey through the experiences, strengths, struggles and souls of women in contemporary society.
Chief Guest, Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid, inaugurates the exhibition with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Her World” belongs to all of us. It’s the story of your grandmother, your daughter, your friend, your inner child and most importantly, it reminds us that a woman’s world, no matter how invisible or chaotic it may seem from the outside, is always worthy of being shared.
Ufaq Ehsan’s approach to painting isn’t just visual, it’s deeply emotional. She talks about her art like it’s alive, like it breathes with her. In “Walking Barefoot In Corridors 2,” a mixed media work adorned with gold leaf, one can feel the intimacy of a female figure walking through life’s pain and beauty with grace. Her paintings are companions, reflecting the dual softness and strengths that define womanhood. Though the skin and muscles of the figure are visible, it also subtly merges into the background full of bright reds and greens with a touch of yellow strokes dripping throughout the canvas from top to bottom, depicting a feeling of movement.
You are the Calm before the Storm by Ufaq Ehsan
Sadaf Hammad brings peace into the room. Her “Lotus Lake” series is soft and serene. At first glance, it’s a peaceful scenery with calm water scattered leaves, but the lotus here isn’t just a flower. Rising from murky waters, the lotus represents growth through hardship. She uses gentle pastel colors and minimal linework to mirror the quiet, reflective moments one rarely gets in a loud world. Hammad’s paintings follow darker shades and tones of greens and blues in one of the paintings where it portrays the night, while the other has lighter tones of the same colours, indicating the day. This contrast between the two pieces highlights the importance of colours along with the approach that the day is full of hope and opportunities but the night solely remains to pause, reflect and start again with a different approach and a good night’s sleep.
Lotus Lake 1 by Sadaf Hammad
In a completely different tone, Sidra Ali uses bold monotype prints to explore power and symbolism. She takes an ordinary household object, a chair and turns it into a powerful political and emotional statement. In Pakistan, a “kursi” doesn’t just mean something to sit on. It’s about who gets to sit, who gets heard, and who holds power, shedding light on the ultimate hunger for power. Her vibrant and ornate chairs are playful but pointed, asking the audience to reconsider how we view ambition and control, especially when they’re dressed in beauty.
Kursi 4 by Sidra Ali
Samina Jamshed Nawaz brings an entirely different lens to the show, one shaped by her experience as an art therapist. Her contribution from the series Moods of Eve is quiet and powerful. It tells the story of a single woman who has carved her own identity despite cultural pushback. There’s no drama here, no forced symbolism, but a storytelling approach toward her works. You can feel the solitude, the dignity and the courage woven into her lines. As someone who has worked with trauma and healing, her perspective feels grounded and authentic. The darker blues bring a feeling of emotions faced by women globally and how they are learning to cope with such grace and serenity.
Untitled by Samina Jamsheed Nawaz
With butterflies fluttering across her prints, Sidra Ashraf reflects on transformation and sisterhood. The butterfly, a universal symbol of change, takes on a personal meaning for her as each print contains three butterflies as a metaphor for her sisters. The two artworks confine the butterflies in a black box, highlighting the responsibilities of women set by the society and no matter what they have achieved in life, these set responsibilities will always be there at the end of the tunnel.
Farrah Mehmood Rana’s work quietly commands attention through its symbolic use of nature to reflect the emotional and spiritual journey of women. Rooted in elements like the lotus flower and the tree, her art speaks of resilience, purity and the deep connections we hold with our surroundings and selves. Through vibrant colors, layered textures and thoughtful composition, Rana explores the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength, presenting womanhood not as a single emotion but as a complex, evolving relationship with the world. The scarf on the head is quite evident in her pieces with intricate patterns and textures of drapery flowing though the canvas, resembling the appearance of the artist herself. It seems that Rana has considered herself the protagonist and depicted the collective chaos in the form of feelings and emotions faced by women all over the world.
Identity 1 by Farrah Mehmood Rana
“Her World” is a reminder that women’s lives are artistic, messy, beautiful, layered and strong. These artists aren’t just showing work. They’re offering pieces of themselves, and in doing so, they offer all the women a moment to feel seen, heard and understood.
ISHQ-E-LAL GEHRA RUNG (divine's serenity) by Faiza Gondal
Transient by Irum Wani
Untitled by Faiza Khan
Untitled by Sadia Altaf
Untitled by Shehla Farooq
Youth, Beauty and Dreams by Dr. Rahat Naveed
You may also like:
