Is Saye Kay Parcham Talay, 2015

Is Saye Kay Parcham Talay (Translation: The Shadow Over our Flag), a project co-curated by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Abdullah Qureshi, involved a series of exhibitions and talks in Lahore and Karachi. Tackling issues of marginalization and minority politics in Pakistan, the project looked at ethnic, religious, and gendered communities.

Starting in Lahore, the inaugural exhibition at Gallery 39K took place from 6 - 18 November 2015, in conjunction with the 6th International THAAP Conference. The presented artworks looked at a broad range of themes, including the Kasur incident (a child abuse scandal), violence against the Shite community, the role of the state and military, and failures of nationalism. Working with Justice Project Pakistan, the exhibition also included paintings by two prisoners on the death row penalty and Bhutto’s Young Street Photographers project, which showcased photographs of 25 children from Karachi’s Neelum and Shah Rasool Colonies.

Artists: Nad-e-Ali, Farida Batool, Mohan Das, Rabi Georges, Aneeq Haider, Ayaz Jokhio, Adnan Ali Manganhar, Ahmed Ali Manganhar, Justice Project Pakistan, Ali Sultan, and Young Street Photographers.

In Karachi, exhibitions and talks took place at:

Jamshed Memorial Hall: Maryam Hasnain and Aysha Bilal.

The Second Floor (T2F): Ali Imani, screening of Chupan Chupai by Saadat, and a talk by Kami Sid.

71 Clifton: Young Street Photographers.

Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture (IVS): Aneeq Haider, Faiza Butt, Farida Batool, Nad-e-Ali, Ahmed Ali Manganhar, Adnan Ali Manganhar, Ayaz Jokhio, Misha Abbas, Mohan Das, Hira Nabi, Samreen Sultan, Sarah Kazmi.