Ayesha Jatoi is a pakistani artist, living and working in Lahore. Born in Pakistan, 1979.
Ayesha Jatoi was trained as a Miniature painter at the National College of the Arts in Lahore (Pakistan) and as a photographer at the National College of the Arts in Lahore. She was one of the founding editors of the magazine of Contemporary Art and Culture, published in Lahore, Pakistan.
Her practice primarily explores the traditional manuscript’s symbiotic relationship between the image and text and the spatial division of these “illuminated pages”. In Jatoi’s work, text often frees itself all together of the image. While being immersed in local ancient aesthetics of iconography, she simultaneously questions the relevance of traditional modes of constructing images today; resulting in a practice which takes on hybrid forms.
Education
2007
Masters (Hons.) Visual Arts, Gold Medal, National College of Arts.
2005
Bachelors Fine Art, Miniature Painting, Honors, National College of the Arts.
2001
Bachelors English Literature, Punjab University (Private Candidate).
1999
International Baccalaureate, United World College of the Atlantic, Wales, UK.
Solo shows (selected)
2024
Who Will Hold You Now. Rohtas II. Lahore, Pakistan.
2018
The Night. Satrang Gallery. Islamabad, Pakistan.
2017
The Observer. Koel Gallery. Karachi, Pakistan.
2016
Tomorrow. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2013
More Silence. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2011
New works. Grey Noise. Lahore, Pakistan.
2010
Mirror, Mirror. Rohtas II. Lahore
, Pakistan.
Group shows (selected)
2024
In the Night. SAMoCA. Riyadh, KSA.
2022
Pop South Asia: Artistic Explorations in the Popula. Sharjah Art Foundation. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
2021
BUM BUM BA YE [Under Pressure].Sabrina Amrani. Madrid, Spain.
2021
Tonight no Poetry will Serve. Barefoot Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2020
Billboard Project. Lahore Biennale Foundation. Lahore, Pakistan.
2020
Modern and Contemporary South Asia Art. Sotheby’s. London, UK.
2020
Red Magic. International Public Art Festival. Karachi, Pakistan.
2019
Fabric(ated) Fractures. Samdani Art Foundation & Alserkal Avenue. Curated by Diana Camplbell Betancourt. Concrete, Dubai.
2019
Contemporary Anxieties. Indus Valley School Gallery. Karachi, Pakistan.
2019
Unmaking History. Research and Publication Center. Lahore, Pakistan.
2018
Art for Education: Contemporary Artists from Pakistan. Museo Diocesano. Milan, Italy.
2018
Lahore Biennale 01. Lahore Museum. Lahore, Pakistan.
2018
Future Debris. Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery. Lahore, Pakistan.
2018
4th Dhaka Art Summit. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2018
From the Hills to the Sea. Gandhara Art Space. Karachi, Pakistan.
2017
Promises to Keep.Apexart. New York, USA.
2016
11th Shanghai Biennale. Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China.
2015
Measuring the immeasurable. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2014
The importance of staying quiet. Yallay Gallery, Hong Kong.
2014
Stet, Lahore Literary Festival, Alhmara Gallery. Lahore. Pakistan.
2014
Please rewind!. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2014
DIY, curated by Rashid Rana. Canvas Gallery. Karachi, Pakistan.
2013
Echoes: Islamic Art and Contemoprary Artists. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City, Misuri, USA.
2012
vac.u.um’, Grey Noise, Dubai, UAE.
2012
Exhibition Without Objects, The Drawing Room, Lahore, Pakistan.
2012
Mein: The Artist and the Self, Koel Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan.
2012
Letters to Taseer, The Drawing Room, Lahore, Pakistan.
2012
In praise of red.Royaat Gallery. Lahore, Pakistan.
2011
Items of Dual Use, WIP: Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden.
2010
Off the Wall, Twelve Gates Gallery, Philadelphia, USA.
2010
…and then there was data, Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan.
2010
In Search of the Exquiste, Ganges Art, Kolkata & L & P Hutheesing Visual Art Centre, Ahmedabad, India.
2010
Fatah Jay Asay Passay, University of Sindh & VM Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan.
2010
Automaton Love, The Loft, Bombay, India.
2010
New Art from Pakistan. Thomas Erben Gallery, New York, USA.
2009
In the Beginning there was the word, Koel Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan.
2009
Emperor’s New Clothes, Talwar Gallery, New York, USA.
2008
Vasl Lahore Residency Show , Al-Hamra, Lahore, Pakistan.
2008
Let’s Talk: Five Pakistani Artists in Dialogue, Jam Jar Gallery, Dubai, UAE.
2008
26/04/08, Al-Hamra, Lahore, Pakistan.
2007
Miniature etc., MA Honors Degree Show, Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan.
2007
IS, Exhibition of Contemporary Pakistani Art, Gallery 27, London, UK.
2007
Independent India, at the offices of Manning Gottlieb, London, UK.
2007
Thirteen Satellites of Lahore—Public Art 2, German Cultural Center, Lahore, Pakistan.
2007
Tales Spinning, Croweaters Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan.
2007
Kalakriti Gallery, Hyderabad, India.
2006
Thirteen Satellites— Public Art1, German Cultural Center, Lahore, Pakistan.
2006
Miniature Paintings.French Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Art fairs
2024
ARCOlisboa. Sabrina Amrani. Lisbon, Portugal
2023
Art Dubai. Sabrina Amrani. Dubai, UAE.
2017
India Art Fair. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. New Delhi, India.
2016
India Art Fair. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. New Delhi, India.
2015
ArtInternational. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Istanbul, Turkey.
2013
Artissima. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Turin, Italy.
2012
Art Dubai. Grey Noise. Dubai, UAE.
2012
Art Contemporary Berlin. Grey Noise. Berlin, Germany. (solo show)
2011
Artissima. Grey Noise. Turin, Italy.
2011
India Art Summit, Grey Noise and The Jam Jar. New Delhi, India.
Bibliography (selected)
“Ayesha Jatoi: Multiple Ways of Interventions - From Miniature Paintings to Public Spaces” Art World Shanghai, 313 Nov 2016
“Tomorrow”, Marina Ferte, Expoartemadrid, Nov 25, 16
A Few Lines from Pakistan, Nonika Singh, Tribune India, June 19, 2016
“Politics of Representation: Feminist Art”, Mariam Shafqat, Express Tribune, May 10, 2016
“Aim For the Head”, Pallavi Chattopadhyay, Indian Express, Feb 1, 2016
Quality over Quantity, Neelam Raaj, Times of India, Jan 29th 2016
“Urge to Spin a Story”, Salima Hashmi, Eye Still Seeks, Penguin Studio, 2015
“Art made Free”, Zarmeene Shah, The Herald, Annual 2014
“Visibility of Disappearance”, Quddus Mirza, The News on Sunday, June 10, 12
“The Conspiracy of Silence”, Aasim Akhtar, The Friday Times, Nov 2011
“Views of a Familiar World”, Atteqa Ali, The News on Sunday, May 2011
“The Practitioner” Iftikar Dadi, Herald Jan 2011
“Execution of an Idea”, Quddus Mirza, The News on Sunday, Nov 2010
“Off the Wall”, Atteqa Ali, Journal of Contemporary Arts and Culture 01
“Modern Moments” , Somak Ghoshal, The Telegraph Calcutta , July 31st 2010.
“Exhibition at NCA Gallery”, The Dawn, June 2010
“Emperor’s New Clothes”, William Pym, Asia Art Pacific, Nov/Dec2009
“Review: Emperors New Clothes”, Atteqa Ali; Art, Etc. Vol 1, No. 2, Oct 2009
“The Expanded Stage”, Asim Akhtar, 26.04.08, Grey Noise Exhibition, April 2008
“Out on the Art Bus”, Emanuel Sarfraz, The Nation Sunday Plus, Nov 30, 08
“Between Black and White”, Chris Lord, Time Out Dubai, Oct 2-9, 08
“Lets Talk”, Valarie Grove, Libas Magazine, Vol 21, 09 Issue 4
“Sounding off through art”, Layla Haroon, Khaleej Times, Oct 26, 08
“Clothed in Art”, Atteqa Ali, The News on Sunday, March 2, 08
“Art for the sake of people”, Quddus Mirza, The News on Sunday, April 22, 07
“Self-expression of a different kind”, Bibigul, The Dawn Gallery, Feb 24, 07
“The Language in Art”, Quddus Mirza, The News on Sunday. Feb11,07
“Artists relying on text”, Saira Dar, The Dawn, Feb 03, 07
“Spinning Tales with words”, Emanuel Sarfraz, The Nation, Feb 1 07
“Postcards from the subcontinent: Miniature delight”, Nayare Ali, Deccan Chronicle, Jan 11,07
"13 Satellites: Public Art in Lahore", Atteqa Ali, Nukta Magazine, Vol 1, Issue 2, 2006