New Cadence exhibition opens in Islamabad featuring 14 emerging Pakistani artists

ISLAMABAD: An exhibition titled New Cadence, showcasing the work of 14 emerging Pakistani artists selected from participants in the National Biennial Arjumand Painting Award 2025, has opened at Gallery 6 in Sector F-6.

The exhibition brings together a group of young artists whose work reflects changing directions in contemporary art practice in Pakistan. While the show is not organised around a single theme, it is linked by what the gallery describes as fresh and distinct artistic voices. The title New Cadence points to a new rhythm and a shifting pace in the ways younger artists are approaching both personal and shared narratives.

The exhibition includes works from a range of genres, including non-representational abstraction, figurative painting, landscape and still life. Collectively, the artworks engage with subjects such as childhood memory, women’s experiences, poverty, environmental concerns and the impact of climate change.

Rather than offering definitive answers, the works are presented as invitations to reflection, encouraging viewers to consider layered meanings and understated emotional currents.

Artists featured in the exhibition

The participating artists are Aakash Rai Gahlot, Agha Jandan, Gul Hassan, Hadia Rizwan, Isra Noman, Laiba Abid, Lalarukh, Maham Mahboob, Marwa Hafeez, Mirza Zeeshan Hussain, Sana Aman, Sayed Yawar Abbas, Sidra Liaqat and Zafar Iqbal.

According to the exhibition description, each artist contributes a distinct perspective to the overall visual conversation. Aakash Rai Gahlot’s work examines the relationship between archive, memory and illusion through carefully arranged compositions. Agha Jandan uses the image of the chalkboard to explore the fleeting nature of thought, invoking both presence and erasure.

Gul Hassan’s work reflects vulnerability and discomfort through symbolic imagery, while Hadia Rizwan turns emotional experience into delicate figurative forms. Isra Noman looks at fragmentation and continuity, and Laiba Abid considers identity as a process shaped by inner truth and outward perception.

Lalarukh’s work focuses on the quiet transformations experienced by women within cultural structures. Maham Mahboob highlights the emotional force of nature through expressive use of colour and brushwork. Marwa Hafeez reflects on female interiority and restrained agency, while Mirza Zeeshan Hussain addresses trauma and vulnerability through striking contrasts.

The exhibition presents a broad cross-section of concerns and visual approaches among younger artists, offering viewers an opportunity to engage with emerging practices in Pakistan’s contemporary art landscape.