ISLAMABAD: Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) on Thursday hosted an attractive new photography exhibition, Fly on the Wall.
The show was curated by Aasim Akhtar at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Visual Arts Division. This groundbreaking showcase featured the works of both national and international photographers, offering thoughtful exploration of their diverse perspectives and compelling narratives.
The group show included Ali Mehdi Zaidi, Arif Mehmood, Ayesha Vellani, Aysha Bilal, Hamid Moinuddin, Lukas Werth, Malcom Hutcheson, Shehzad Noorani, Stephan Andrew, William Dalrymple, and Zaheer Chaudry.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Y. Kistafin, who is the Ambassador of Kazakhstan, in a ceremony along with the Director General of PNCA, Ayub Jamali. Present on the opening day were photographers Ayesha Bilal, Zaheer Chaudhry, and Arif Mehmood, whose contributions to the field were appreciated by the enthusiastic audience.
Under the theme of “Retelling the Story of Pakistani Photographers’ Journey,” Aasim Akhtar’s curation aimed to provide a fresh perspective on the significant and often overlooked work of Pakistani photographers. The exhibition emphasised the importance of revisiting their narratives, fostering connections among peers, and encouraging a collective reflection on their shared responsibility as witnesses to history.
This exhibition defied conventional expectations, rejecting hierarchy and showcasing a diverse array of works that coalesced to form a captivating narrative. Aasim Akhtar’s selection process focused on initiating a dialogue among the photographers, allowing them to communicate with each other through their images and share their unique visions with the public. The exhibition emphasised the deep mutual respect within the photography community, highlighting that no photographer or genre was deemed greater or nobler than another.
As Aasim Akhtar aptly put it, “I have eschewed hierarchy because, in photography, it does not exist. What does exist is a deep mutual respect. No photographer is greater than another; no genre nobler than the next.”
This captivating exhibition showcased the convergence of diverse views, turning the photographers’ gaze on the world and scrutinising it fragment by fragment. Each photograph, regardless of style or subject, serves as a testament to the photographers’ compulsive urge to bear witness to the human experience.
The exhibition was open to the public at PNCA until February 13, offering an immersive journey through the lens of these talented photographers. Organisers urged people to avail themselves of the opportunity to witness the collective power of their perspectives as they invited art lovers to contemplate fragility, the ephemeral nature of life, and the traces people left behind.
Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2024