Longing in colour and form

PNCA’s ‘Shared Distances’ brings young artists’ visions to life

The Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad is awash with colour, form, and reflection as ‘Shared Distances’ opens its doors.

Now in its third edition, the annual showcase celebrates the imagination of young fine arts graduates from Rawalpindi and Islamabad — and this year, it feels especially urgent.

Curated by Noor Fatima, the exhibition brings together more than 90 works from over 40 emerging artists hailing from the National College of Arts (Rawalpindi), Fatima Jinnah Women University, COMSATS University, and Rawalpindi Women University.

Their work spans painting, printmaking, sculpture, miniature, and installation — diverse languages converging to wrestle with shared questions of memory, longing, resilience, and transformation.

“In a time when connections are fleeting, places shift before they can settle in memory, and the familiar often feels just out of reach, Shared Distances offers a space for stillness and reflection,” writes Fatima in her curatorial note.

The title resonates through the work on display. From delicate negotiations between presence and absence in miniature paintings, to sculptural forms that embody both fragility and permanence, the exhibition highlights how artists are reimagining distance — not only as physical space, but as a metaphor for emotional, cultural, and historical dislocation.

One of the most striking aspects is the variety of mediums deployed to probe these ideas. Printmaking pieces map fleeting imprints of memory, while installations immerse viewers in intimate encounters with absence.

Paintings and miniatures anchor contemporary struggles in Pakistan’s long tradition of narrative imagery, demonstrating how heritage can be a living tool for new expression.

The show was formally inaugurated by Federal Minister for Culture and Heritage Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, alongside diplomats, senior artists, and academics. While the official ceremony lent the exhibition institutional gravitas — complete with a symbolic tree-planting for climate action — the real energy is in the works themselves.

“This exhibition is a testament to the immense talent of Pakistan’s youth. It reflects their ability to draw from our cultural heritage while addressing contemporary realities with originality and depth,” the minister told the opening ceremony.

He congratulated curator Noor Fatima, PNCA Director General Muhammad Ayoub Jamali, and the participating artists for showcasing the strength of Pakistan’s new creative voices.

Through the art on display at the PNCA’s Islamabad galleries, the next generation of artists is staking its claim, not just as heirs to Pakistan’s artistic tradition but as active voices shaping its future.

The roster of participants is as wide-ranging as the approaches: Abrish Zahra, Aliza, Amna Ayyaz, Amna Wajahat, Areeba Naeem, Arooj Fazil, Asma Ali, Aweesa Tariq, Ayesha Afzal, Ayesha Bibi, Ayesha Tanveer, Bakhtawar Nadeem, Eman Ijaz Choudhary, Faseeh bin Amir, Fatima Khan, Fatima Maqbool, Fatimah Mirza, Hazafa Asim, Javeria Khalid, Khizra Tanveer, Laiba Abdullah, Lubna Khattak, Mahnoor Shahid and Makayil Rana, among many others.

Each piece reflects a different negotiation with distance – whether personal, cultural, or spatial — yet together they create a chorus that feels unmistakably of this moment.

PNCA has sought to platform the country’s creative voices, but ‘Shared Distances’ reminds audiences that the future of art is already here, being shaped in the studios and classrooms of the present.