The Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) is hosting Seeing, س (Seen): Reframing the Moving Image in Pakistan, a groundbreaking exhibition bringing together artists from Pakistan and the UK to explore the transformative potential of the moving image as a medium of resistance, disruption, and reimagination.
Curated by Islamabad based curator and designer Sarah Rajper, the exhibition reframes film, video, and new media as powerful tools for questioning how we see, sense, and experience the world. It is the culmination of Rajper’s participation in the prestigious Art Exchange: Moving Image curatorial fellowship — a year-long international programme, supported by the British Council and organised by LUX (UK), and Art South Asia Project. The fellowship included mentorship, critical exchange, and research visits to major UK institutions such as Tate Modern, Somerset House, Barbican Centre, and the British Film Institute.
The exhibition opens with a public reception on 30 July 2025, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, featuring an Artist Panel Discussion from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and will remain on view until 8 August 2025. Daily viewing hours are 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed Saturdays) at PNCA, Islamabad.
Seeing, س (Seen) engages with themes of memory, identity, and temporality, positioning the moving image as a fluid, uncontained force in contemporary visual culture. It contributes to the evolving discourse on new media and experimental art within Pakistan’s unique cultural context.
The exhibition features works by prominent Pakistani artists Abdul Hadi, Farida Batool, Kaiser Irfan, Mahnoor Ali Shah, M4HK, Rabeeha Adnan, and Ujala Khan, alongside UK-based artist duo John Wood and Paul Harrison, with additional selections from the British Council Art Collection.
A dynamic public programme will run throughout the exhibition, including artist talks, panel discussions, workshops, lectures, and presentations focused on film, media, identity, and perception.
Organised in partnership with the Lahore Digital Arts Festival and PNCA, this cross-cultural showcase offers audiences a chance to engage with boundary-pushing work at the intersection of art, technology, and social commentary.
