texts

/ essays and text interventions

“The Nebulous Murmur of Time.” In an upcoming catalogue for Zara Mahmood’s solo exhibition Towards Time. Published by Maraya Art Centre, UAE. 2022

“Borrowed Monsters: Popular Culture and Worldbuilding in the Works of Fahd Burki.” In an upcoming monograph published by Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, UAE. 2022

“Owning Darkness: On the Immigrant Experience.” In Pacita Abad: I Thought the Streets Were Paved with Gold. Published by Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, UAE. 2022 – link

“Notes on How to Care for Your Plants.” – online exhibition, The Third Line, Dubai, 2021 – link

“Technologically Reinvigorate the Departed.” In Art in the Age of Anxiety, co-published by Sharjah Art Foundation and Mörel Books. Distributed by MIT Press. 2020 – link

“Some Notes on Leaving.” – online exhibition Places Between I: Fahd Burki – Grey Noise, Dubai. 2020

“Paper flotsam in the land without pulp /…or the anxiety of unreading.” In The Library of Unread Books, by Heman Chong and Renée Staal. Published by Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, UAE. 2019 – link

“(Untitled) Avoid Bad Dreams” – installed as part of the exhibition Avoid Bad Dreams at Green Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE. 2019

“Chance Method.” In catalogue for Timo Nasseri’s solo exhibition All the Letters in All the Stars. Published by Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE. 2018 – link

“Language as Landscape.” In catalogue for exhibition Ishara: Signs, Symbols and Shared Language. Published by UAE Unlimited, Dubai, UAE. 2018

“The Inadvertent Geometer.” In catalogue for Nima Nabavi’s solo exhibition 1, 2, 3. Published by The Third Line, Dubai, UAE. 2018

“Lighting Fires.” In Everything we do is music – Drawing Room, by Shanay Jhaveri. Published by Cornerhouse Publications, London, UK. 2017 – link

 “Rupak / 2016-2017.” In Rupak (Lala Rukh at Documenta 14). Published by Grey Noise, Dubai, UAE. 2017 – link

“We Never Stop Talking.” For publication on the works of performance artist Honi Ryan. Germany. 2017

“The Unapologetic Lore of Chitra Ganesh.” In Fables and Folklore (Papercuts Vol. 15). Published by Desi Writers’ Lounge. 2016 – link

“Untitled.” – excerpt from an unfinished fictional text – part of a publication on 3 years of Murree Museum Artist Residency, Pakistan. 2016

‘”What is my Accent?” In Syntax Freezone: Anthology of Essays on Language and Accent. Published by THE STATE magazine and Maraya Art Centre, UAE. 2015

“The Garden of David – Profile on David Chalmers Alesworth.” In Home is Not a Place (Papercuts Vol. 14). Published by Desi Writers’ Lounge. 2015

“Contemporary Visuals of Violence. ” In the Hundal Collection publication. USA. 2015

“Lahore.” In SURGE: The Pakistan Issue (PIX Vol. 11). India. 2015

“The Other Young Ones – Profile on Asif Ahmed.” In Dog Eat Dog (Papercuts Vol. 12). Published by Desi Writers’ Lounge. 2013

/ articles – print & online

2022

  • City Reports: Dubai – Velocity and Intimacy – Art Asia Pacific, Almanac 2022, Vol XV11 – link

2021

  • Review: Age of You at Jameel Arts Centre – Flash Art – link
  • Drone Go Chasing Waterfalls / On Stephanie Comilang’s film Lumapit Sa Akin, Paraiso (Come to Me Paradise) – Alserkal.Online – link

2020

  • Review: The Stonebreakers at Warehouse421 – Canvas
  • Film Review: Michael John Whelan – Primary organs – Art Monthly UK – link

2019

  • Resonance: After Lala Rukh – The Friday Times – link
  • Review: Body Building at Ishara Art Foundation – Art Monthly UK – link
  • Studio Visit: Zara Mahmood – Canvas
  • Review: NYUAD Art Gallery exhibition ‘Speculative Landscapes’ – Canvas
  • Review: The Poetics of Place / Punta Della Dogana (Venice Biennale) – Canvas – link
  • The Ghosts of Past and Future: Pakistan in Venice (Naiza Khan) – ArtNow Pakistan – link
  • Dopahar: The Home Totem (Zarina Hashmi) – Canvas – link
  • Review: Asia Reclaims Dubai (ACAW Field Meeting 6) – Harper’s Bazaar Art
  • Suspended octopuses, floating humans (Umber Majeed) – Canvas – link

2018

  • Preview: Lahore Welcomes First Biennale – Harper’s Bazaar Art – link

2017

  • Obituary: Lala Rukh (1948-2017) – Art Asia Pacific – link
  • The Handrail: Choreography of the Absent Human Body (Nika Neelova) – FOLIO – link
  • Like a Still Life: Ramin Haerizadeh at Gallery Isabelle Van den Eynde – Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia – link

2016

  • Can performance art in Pakistan bridge the gap between artist and audience? – Dawn newspaper, February 2016. Originally published in ArtNow Pakistan – link
  • Murree Museum Artist Residency: An Artist Retreat on the Edge of Chaos – Libas International
  • Fair Play: Art Dubai and South Asian art professionals – Libas International

2015

  • Outsider, Insider – How the politics of identity is informing the Pakistani art scene – Herald Magazine (Annual Review Issue) – link
  • The Multiple Identities of Dubai: An introduction to the arts and culture scene of the dynamic Emirate – Hyperreal Magazine

2014

  • The Road to Machu Picchu, Part 1 – The Friday Times – link
  • The Road to Machu Picchu, Part 2 – The Friday Times – link
  • Of Broken Yolks, Rooh Afza Commercials And Darwinist Theme Songs – Art Dubai blog – link

2013

  • Profile: Youssef Nabil – Canvas Magazine

2012

  • Artist of the Month: Risham Syed – In conversation with Saira Ansari – ArtNow Pakistan
  • The Kooky Indian girl who once lived in Lahore – excerpt from the original blogpost at The s.a. Project – ArtNow Pakistan – link

2011

  • Contemporary Art – A Brief History of Now – Khaleej Times – pdf
  • INDIA! a major exhibition in Rio at CCBB – The Rio Times – link
  • Iranian Pulse, Contemporary Art from Iran in Rio – The Rio Times – link
  • Sonia Andrade Retrospective Show in Rio – The Rio Times – link
  • MNBA, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio – The Rio Times – link
  • Group Show at UFRJ School of Fine Arts  – The Rio Times – link
  • I am a Cliché: Echoes of the Punk Aesthetic – The Rio Times – link
  • We Want Miles, Miles Davis at the CCBB  – The Rio Times – link
  • A Gentil Carioca, Art Gallery in Rio – The Rio Times – link
  • Usina, A Young Art Gallery Story in Rio  – The Rio Times – link
  • Parque Lage and the School of Visual Arts  – The Rio Times – link
  • Cadu’s Art Exhibition at Ipanema Gallery – The Rio Times – link
  • Art Opening at the Metara Gallery in Ipanema  – The Rio Times – link

2010

  • Studio RM Residency – Herald Magazine
  • Three Blind Mice – Outside:Looking In, Papercuts Vol. 7, Winter Issue