The exhibition ‘ALIVE’ at Lahore’s Ocean Art Gallery is a compelling exploration of endurance, remembrance and the human capacity for renewal.

Curated by Tania Sohail, the group show invites viewers to contemplate what it truly means to persevere amid the complexities of lived experiences. Through layered visual narratives, it examines the intersections of personal histories, resilience, vulnerability and hope, offering a thoughtful reflection on the emotional landscapes that continue to shape our lives.

In Abdul Mannan’s Karwat, the restrained use of charcoal, combined with selective colour, creates a contemplative atmosphere in which gestures carry greater emotional weight than facial expressions. A child, head bowed, with a ponytail touching the ground and hands tightly clenched against the chest, presents a deeply unsettling image. The figure’s posture conveys an inward emotional tension, inviting viewers to reflect on themes of vulnerability, fear and silent resilience. A small humanoid figure with its head covered by a bag serves as a powerful visual metaphor for the loss of identity and psychological burden.

In Mannan’s Qadam, tightly bound feet, draped in delicate organza-like fabric and adorned with painted nails, evoke the image of a newly married bride stepping into a new home and a new phase of life. Rather than suggesting freedom or possibility, the bound feet become a powerful metaphor for restriction and endurance. The work introduces a poignant irony that, although movement is implied by the very notion of a ‘step’, it remains both physically and emotionally constrained.

Aqsa Shahir’s landscapes, with a restrained pastel palette of ochre, golden yellows and burnt sienna, evoke the tradition of English landscape painting and create an atmosphere of serenity, memory and quiet contemplation. In Evening Drink, the artist uses a mist-filled atmosphere, diffused golden sunset-light and tranquil meadows populated by two deer, which are the emotional centre of the composition, symbolising innocence and spiritual grace.

Through intimate depictions of fear, longing, memory and loss, a group exhibition in Lahore viewed resilience simply as the act of continuing

In Besmah Aman’s Fractured, a broken wooden stool towering over a curled child creates a powerful metaphor for emotional vulnerability. The fractured stool suggests that the very structure meant to provide security has collapsed. The split seat also evokes a wound, indicating that the fracture is not merely physical but emotional. Aman’s Overlooked is another psychologically and emotionally charged piece.

In her series titled Burden of Comfort, Zainab Awan explores the complex relationship between pain, sleep and pillows. While pillows are conventionally seen as symbols of comfort, rest and solace, they also become silent carriers of our anxieties, pain or grief. In The Passage of Time, the stack of pillows replacing the sitter’s head and torso invites interpretation of accumulated memories, emotional burdens or maybe even of a loss of identity.

Danyal Awan’s body of work captures people in a state of waiting, caught between hope and uncertainty, their quiet longing underscoring the fleeting nature of time and the impermanence of human experience. The stark red palette symbolises emotional intensity, passion and psychological tension, reinforcing the themes of waiting, longing and the ephemeral nature of time. The figures are drawn with realistic proportions and expressive details, enhancing the emotional impact of the painting and making the subject’s experiences of longing feel more immediate and authentic.

‘ALIVE’ was on display at Ocean Art Gallery in Lahore from July 18-27, 2026

The writer is an art critic, fine artist and educationist based in Lahore. She can be reached at ayeshamajeed2015@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 16th, 2026