On the Question of Style

A Review of ‘Beyond DNA 1’

Hassan Tahir Latif

‘Beyond DNA 1’, a project of Studio RM and headed by Sadaf Naeem and Saulat Ajmal, was a group show held at O Art Space (Lahore) from 18th–29th April, 2025.

Our identities and our perception of the self are intricately linked. This process begins in early childhood and continues to evolve through our lifetimes, informed by the world around us. While many people can go through life without deeply pondering over this relationship, creatives take the task head on—whether consciously or by virtue of the nature of creative work. Visual artists, similar to writers, begin formulating a vocabulary that is distinctly their own, one that distinguishes them from their peers.

In ‘Beyond DNA 1’ we see this exercise played out materially and visually. Curated by Sadaf Naeem and Saulat Ajmal, under the mantle of Studio RM, the group show gathered visual artists from across Pakistan and the diaspora, who work with a variety of mediums, inviting them to explore the development of their artistic identity over the years.

The resulting show evidenced how certain elements are inherent to an identity and others collected over time, shaped through the act of living—the sensorial and intellectual experiences of being human. Each artist presented two works that were in dialogue with each other—diptychs of sorts charting their signature style—and with those around them.

Walking through the show, the range of works, and indeed artistic expressions was immediately noticeable. A mix of smaller to larger canvases, muted palettes to striking blues and reds, and myriad materials and media allowed a glimpse into the fertile landscape of the Pakistani arts.

One of my favourite pieces was ‘Firouz’ by Amra Khan—a solitary figure of a masculine-presenting man painted in striking blue acrylic, surrounded by flora and fauna that could be straight out of a magical garden from a Persian tale. Out of all the artists featured in the show, Amra’s body of work is the one I am most familiar with, having followed it closely for a while now. After I had spent enough time being charmed by Firouz and his cheeky, arresting stare, I wondered, what was her signature style? How did I know instantly that it was Amra’s work, even before reading the wall text? I am used to more reds and androgynous beings in association with Amra’s practice, but this was unmistakably her canvas upon first glance.

'Firouz' by Amra Khan (Acrylic on canvas, 2025)

Was it the garland hanging around his neck? The various elements surrounding the figure?

Flanking this canvas was ‘Alam Khana’, also by Amra; a scaled-up kurta with delicate white-on-white embroidery depicting a more androgynous study of a human figure, one more closely aligned to the figures I’ve encountered in her work. Was it this pairing of two very different pieces of work that signalled to me Amra’s hand at play? These questions remained with me even after the show and underscored the curatorial conceit.

Detail from 'Alam Khana' by Amra Khan (Cotton thread on Semi Sheer cotton-poly blend fabric, 2025)

Other artists’ responses to the curators’ introspective ask, while equally varied, showed a curious overlap in their intrinsicality.

I quite enjoyed Amean J’s pair of photographs: one featuring an out of focus self-portrait and the other a melancholic seascape. Although small in scale, they draw you in immediately and make you reflect on this philosophical offering from the artist—has the blurry, uncertain self now become as sure (and expansive) as the sea?

'Out of focus' (L) and 'Seascapes' (R) by Amean J (Both are UV prints on Canson-Papier Blanc 180gsm, 2025)

Subsuming the self through nature appeared in Talat Dabir’s pen and ink works as well, depicting an eerie wilderness. In one a figure, believably her, is emerging from (or settling into?) a tree; the other shows a wilder forest, with that tree ostensibly felled, and the figure has disappeared, most likely melded with the surroundings. I felt a similar sentiment in Meher Afroz’s ‘Kehkashan e neesti’ diptychs. Diptychs 1 and 2 are almost inverse images of each other, but not entirely, yet existing harmoniously together, one falling into the other. Ahmed Javed’s work spun this idea on its head with a figure photographing nature in the accompanying frame.

[L to R: Detail from 'Untitled' by Talat Dabir; 'Kehkashan e neesti 2' by Meher Afroz; 'Lion Rock' by Ahmed Javed]

In a parallel vein of subsumption, Tapu Javeri and Shiblee Muneer’s two large canvases each had a self-portrait in one and geometric pattern in the other; the kind of geometry I associated with a higher sense of being and consciousness.

[L to R: Detail from 'KaraChakra Festival' by Tapu Javeri; Detail from 'The conception of evolution' by Shiblee Muneer]  

Farida Batool’s lenticular prints, on the other hand, functioned as a palimpsest, with views of Lahore that shifted depending on the viewer’s position in relation to the work. It was a striking and intelligent portrayal of how one’s sense of self shifts through the lens of time and place—an apt metaphor for the show.

'Lahore ki eik Dastaan (diptych)' by Farida Batool (Lenticular print, 2025)

Material variations, such as in the sculptural works of Nausheen Saeed and Jamil Baloch added another layer to the show’s curation, especially with the former’s work (along with a video installation) providing a response to the show rooted in the female body. Ruby Chishti’s mixed media sculptural piece—‘I see a tree over there with my name on it’ made of recycled clothing, thread and other such paraphernalia—placed alongside a mixed media collage that resembled an artist’s mood board (‘Creation is in my DNA’) was a telling narrative of the way an artists’ creative DNA changes.

[L to R: 'Vessel' by Nausheen Saeed; 'Dialogue' by Jamil Baloch]

'I see a tree over there with my name on it' by Ruby Chishti (mixed media, 2025)

Miniature, drawing and painting works by Rabeya Jalil, Rahat Ali and Farhat Ali further commented on the ever-changing nature of identity and perception by a depiction of either violence or physical transformation. Thoughts of vanquishing an older self came to mind.

[L to R: 'Self Portrait' by Farhat Ali; Diptych by Rahat Ali; Detail from 'Portrait 2' by Rabeya Jalil]  

Walking out of the show I asked myself: what is my style and how will it (and has it) evolved? Will my budding photography practice find companionship with my writing?

I was also imbued with the sense of the urgency these questions have for the creative community, especially given the rise of generative AI-led plagiarism and what it means to have a distinctive creative point of view in a rapidly homogenising world.

All in situ photographs are courtesy of the author; hi-res artworks are courtesy of the gallery.