ISLAMABAD, May 11 (DNA): The Chapter 4 explores the theme of ‘Rejected’ through deeply personal and socially reflective artistic practices was held from April 26 to May 10 in the natural landscape of Chattar- surrounded by hills and a flowing stream.
The residency brings together 17 artists: Ahsan Ahmed, Akhter Iqbal, Aliya Farooq, Anum Malik, Eimaan Aslam, Geytee Ara, Lubna Jehangir, Maheen Syed, Mahnoor Khushhal, Maria Baj, Nabia Zafar, Syeda Nadia Raza, Sadaf Hammad, Saffia Mughees, Sidra Ashraf, Sumria Qazi, and Zainab Sabir, said a press release.
In the middle of the residency an In-house baithak was organised with a panel of distinguished artists, educators and curators to engage with the resident artists and their works in progress. It included Rahat Saeed, Aqeel Solangi,Mehrbano Khattak, Sajjad Akram and Muhammad Abbas. It certainly was an igniting session.
Through diverse mediums and perspectives, the residency examines rejection as loss, resistance, transformation, memory, and healing.
Ahsan Ahmed explored rejection through narratives of resilience, self-reclamation, and emotional transformation. His ceramic practice employs cracked, mended, and re-fired forms as metaphors for healing, endurance, and growth.
Akhter Iqbal investigated surfaces and structures that resist entry, using voids, impressions, and layered materials to make rejection physically and materially visible.
Aliya Farooq approached rejection as a temporary darkness that gradually gives way to acceptance, self-awareness, and wholeness, embracing both fractures and strengths within the self.
Anum Malik addressed the emotional violence surrounding marriage-proposal rejection and the silent social pressures imposed upon women by family and society.
Eimaan Aslam visualized self-rejection as a monstrous force that conceals one’s true identity and inner nature.
For Geytee rejection isn’t an end; it’s a phase. It scars us, but also teaches us. These lifescapes are records of how wounds become waypoints.
Maria Baj reflected on silenced identities and unlived possibilities through bodily silhouettes that embody fragmented and rejected selves.
Nabia Zafar extended visual narratives into language through bilingual ekphrastic poetry, responding to selected residency works in both Urdu and English.
Syeda Nadia Raza highlighted the rejection and marginalization faced by transgender individuals, emphasizing dignity, visibility, and social exclusion.
Sadaf Hammad reflected on Quranic verses that question worldly standards, the uncertainty of life, and the purpose of human existence through contemporary calligraphic practice.
Saffia Mughees explored memory, preservation, and impermanence through watercolor paintings of abandoned objects and forgotten spaces, transforming rejection into poetic presence.
Sidra Ashraf created mythical hybrid forms by combining human anatomy with elephants and fish to celebrate pregnancy, femininity, and emotional experience. Her work challenges societal judgments surrounding the female body, presenting womanhood as natural, cyclical, and deeply worthy of respect.
Zainab Sabir investigated rejection as psychological withdrawal – a survival mechanism through which the mind creates emotional distance from painful realities.
Together, the works presented in OffGrid Residency – Chapter 4 offers an intimate meditation on rejection – not as an ending, but as a site of transformation, resistance, healing, and renewed meaning.
The culmination was the visit of the esteemed guests on the the Open house. Especially Mr Ahmed Habib, renowned artist not only gave his critical appreciation, also shared his experiences. The works will be exhibited in June 2026.
