Nausheen Saeed’s Secret Keepers

A Review of ‘Enigma’

Hassan Tahir Latif

A perceptive look by our Managing Editor of Nausheed Saeed’s exhibit ‘Enigma’ at White Wall Gallery (Lahore), a show that recalls excavatory work from the Indus Valley Civilisation and elsewhere.

There is a photograph I often return to. In the background is a mound of dirt and a hillside; in the foreground a group of diggers stands on either side of the frame. Some of the diggers are looking at the camera, while others moved at the last minute, their faces now ghostly blurs. While these two groups of men populate the photograph, our attention is drawn elsewhere. In the centre of the frame stands a solitary figure, head turned to one side, naked torso coated with dirt, arms cut off at the elbows. It is ‘Antinous’ being exhumed at Delphi (Greece, 1894).

Photographs of excavations abound aplenty, yet there is something peculiar about this one that captivates me. It is perhaps the melancholic tilt of Antinous’s head and the stares of the diggers surrounding him. I have always wondered what he must have felt in that moment; unearthed from his resting place to be a spectacle for a world he does not recognise. Despite the indignity of the situation, Antinous, carved in stone, has a gravitas that can be felt across time.

'Enigma' by Nausheen Saeed at White Wall Gallery (Lahore, 2025)

Nausheen Saeed’s aptly titled solo show ‘Enigma’ at Lahore’s White Wall Gallery convincingly encapsulates the enigmatic energy of excavated sculptures. Drawing attention to found objects and figurines from the Indus Valley Civilisation, Saeed blurs the boundaries between art installation and archaeological display. Entering the space, one would be forgiven for thinking the room is part of a museum’s anthropological presentations. A black cube imbued with a reverent silence reminiscent of special museum displays greets you (I have to yet again congratulate the team at White Wall Gallery for consistently producing and designing high quality shows that embody the ethos of each artist’s work, morphing their space to accommodate the variety of works that they showcase).

Five plinths stand tall, arranged in a pentagram. Each lit softly from within and each holding a life-size figure. The figures face inwards and the audience has the feeling of interrupting a private ritual. This is perhaps no accident, as Saeed found inspiration in the goddesses and deities found among the ruins of sites such as the Indus Valley—the artist is trained in site specific sculpture and the considered display demonstrates this expertise.

Each of the encased figures is ostensibly that of a woman, but a woman without limbs and without heads. Sculpted out of layers of mixed media, they resemble ancient terracotta figurines whose origins and uses we can only guess at. Saeed’s work is not only a homage to the mysteries that surround our understanding of this past, but also to the role of women in these societies, as well as our concepts about womanhood.

The full-bodied, un-limbed, headless figures are Saeed’s ode to the various forms the feminine divine has taken on throughout history: mother, maiden, priestess, crone.

While a lot of work is being done by contemporary sculptors that is redefining the way womanhood and women’s bodies are presented, Saeed’s nod to a more primitive way of body-making is telling. Her own practice has played with form, texture and materials in myriad ways when it comes to this subject, but presenting figures of women in an imposing ‘life-size’ manner refocuses the conversation on the traditional feminine form (eastern and western) and raises questions about the lives of women in these ancient times.

Unlike Antinous, we do not need an attached head to sense what Saeed’s pieces want to say. The full-bodied, un-limbed, headless figures are Saeed’s ode to the various forms the feminine divine has taken on throughout history: mother, maiden, priestess, crone.

Her choice to present the figures as clay-made, showing signs of decay, further deepens the conversation about the past and the vicissitudes of time. It is in fact the clay-like nature of Saeed’s figures that adds this gravitas to the show.

'Enigma II' by Nausheed Saeed (multimedia, 2025)

Clay remains one of the oldest materials that humanity has used to create objects; fired clay objects represent the turning point in our history—the discovery of fire. Fashioning objects out of clay, whether for utility or play, represents our enduring fascination with creation. Deities made of clay imbued with the power we give to them are our way of emulating God breathing life into man—who, according to many traditions, is made of clay. I remember being enthralled by the Mehrgarh figurines of goddesses that I discovered as part of a Covid-era pottery workshop; there was a deference reserved for women for their physical (and laborious) role in birthing humanity.

Viewing a variation of these figures as presented by Saeed, while being surrounded by contemporary conversations around womanhood adds another dimension to the enigma the artist has portrayed. The last few decades of feminist and trans-inclusive activism have shifted perspectives on womanhood’s definitions; in many instances it is no longer linked to birthing or genitals. In fact, had these been actual ancient relics (as Saeed calls them) we could have spent decades pondering over who they represented.

Standing in front of these vitrines, I was reminded of Josh O’Connor’s archaeologist turned full-time grave-robbing character Arthur in La Chimera (dir. Alice Rohrwacher, 2023), as he has an existential crisis when he realises that dismembering and decapitating ancient goddesses is the only way to get them out of their graves and tombs, but is incapacitated himself by the weight of what that means. I wondered if Saeed was aware of this nature of excavatory work when choosing to decapitate and dismember her own figures.

A view of Nausheen Saeed's 'Enigma' at White Wall Gallery (Lahore, 2025)

Enigma is a small show—only five figures—but it has a lot to say. From observations on archaeological digs and found objects that encapsulate our shared cultural histories, to critical commentary on women’s bodies, these five figures do some heavy lifting.

In a world where we are constantly fighting over ideals that were set down for us in antiquity, it is nice to be reminded of how much we do not know about the past. Our best guesses are as good as our technology, and even that fails many times after the surface is scratched. Objects we find hold those secrets and let them loose only occasionally, even then never fully. Similar to Saeed’s enigmatic five, the secrets remain buried within.

They are perhaps not even ours to tell.

All photos are courtesy of the author.