LAHORE: Hamama Tul Bushra, a painter settled in the US, has come up with a strong feminist message in her solo show that’s happening at the O Art Studio in Gulberg.
The solo show of 16 paintings has been titled “Hum Gunahgar Auratein”, after the famous Urdu poem of Kishwar Naheed. The paintings portray women challenging social norms through their strong meaningful expressions. The painter has created a contrast while showing the defiance of women but put them in traditional Pakistani, eastern outfits. However, use of bold shocking colours coincides with the bold resistance of female characters and their expressions. The bold loud colours in acrylic and mixed media signifying the loud message of women characters has become a signature style of Bushra’s works. The women characters in the paintings are seen in sitting poses but they are not static as there is a movement in their postures as if they want to send a message across. There is intensity in emotions, reflecting their subjective strength, affecting the objective world.
The titles of the paintings are also interesting, and give intensity to the strength of the characters. Some of the titles are “Meri Wuqat Mein Janoo”, “Sar-e-Aam,” “Khamosh Baghawat’, “Zeenat Ka Sawal” etc. They explain the painter’s message further, making it easier for the audience to peep into the mind of the artist.
Along with women, butterflies and birds appear as companions of women in multiple paintings. And these birds are not exotic birds but eastern birds from Pakistan culture like crows, pigeons, and sparrows. She has painted crows as if replacing ravens in western art and poetry. In her paintings, the crow can appear as a sinister presence like the companion dog of Saugandhi in Manto’s famous short story, Hatak.
Speaking to Dawn about the birds, she said, “I had lost my cat and started feeding birds in my backyard on a daily basis. That’s how birds started being reflected in my paintings.”
About the symbol of crow, she said “it is an important part of Punjab and eastern folklore and secondly Pakistan crow is more beautiful than American one.”
Another common theme is that of Palestine in Bushra’s works on display whether it’s Palestinian flag which has been put in minute details in the women’s jewellery or Keffiyeh. This theme appears like an effect of Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
“I used to keep listening to the news while doing painting and Palestine was all over the news during that time that also reflected in my paintings. Palestinian reference is a way to express solidarity with the people of Palestine,” says Bushra.
She adds that all her paintings are recent works done only for this exhibition.
Bushra’s women are also passionate readers as books also feature in her paintings, including Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me and Quratulain Hyder’s Aag Ka Darya.
Trained as graphic designer from the National College of Arts (NCA), Hamama Tul Bushra earned her master’s degree in Art History from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, US. She has shown her work in exhibitions in the US, KSA and Pakistan.
While pursuing her PhD, Bushra’s focus shifted to the visual arts during the Covid and she took to paintings more passionately and regularly.
Bushra’s show opened on Friday and it would continue till April 6 at O Art Space.
Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026