The COMO Museum, Lahore has announced an upcoming exhibition, Dharti Dhar Dhar Dharke Gi: Artist as Witness, showcasing over 40 artists from across the global to highlight the ongoing human rights atrocities in Palestine.
Starting from Sept. 8 and continuing till Jan. 30, 2025, the exhibition features 40 artists from Pakistan and one each from India, Iran, Iraq, as well as two artists from Britain. They have all come together, according to a statement, for a groundbreaking exhibition that aims to examine the premise that all artists’ endeavors should be seen in the context of their time.
“This is a moment in human history as we are living it today in which it becomes imperative for all thinking people to respond to the horrors that are occurring in Palestine,” artist and activist Salima Hashmi, who curated the exhibition, told the Standard. “And not just in Palestine, but in Sudan and other places around the globe. It is left to the artists to respond and this exhibition, I think is exactly that,” she added.
In this regard, the exhibition highlights the pivotal moment in history arising out of a chance to address the Palestinian genocide currently unfolding before the world amidst denial and indifference from global leaders and organizations. According to COMO, the works exhibited document the artists’ responses not only to the horror unfolding before the world’s eyes, but also the turmoil and massacres concealed in the past. “Artists in our region are vigilant, deeply engaged with and committed to humanity and the pursuit of peace,” reads the statement, stressing artists do not shy from raising their voices against all odds.
Among the artists featured at COMO are Adeela Suleman, Ali Kazim, Ali Laraib Rizvi, Ali Raza, Ammar Faiz, Ardeshir Mohasses, Awais Naqvi, Dia Al Azzawi, Faiza Butt, Farida Batool, Farrukh Addnan, Fawad Jafri, Feroza Hakeem, Haider Ali Jan, Hassan Shiekh, Hina Tabasum, Ijazul Hassan, Imran Qureshi, Kayla, Layla Claudia Smith, Maheen Kazim, Mariyam Ibraaz, Marria Khan, Mizna Zulfiqar, Moona Fazal, Muzzumil Ruheel, Naiza Khan, Naazish Ata Ullah, Quddus Mirza, Rabbania Sharjeel, Rashid Rana, Shehnaz Ismail, Sheraz Faisal, Shujaul Haq, Sophia Balagamwala, Sophiya Khawaja, Sousan Qadeer, Sumbul Natalia, Vivan Sundaram and Waleed Zafa.
“It includes artists, very young artists, and those who are now in their 80s, speaking with one voice and saying it is time that we responded as human beings to the challenges of gross conflict and colonialism,” stresses Hashmi.