The Pakistan National Council of the Arts has opened In the Meantime: An Installation Garden, a landmark contemporary exhibition that turns the PNCA lawns in Islamabad into an immersive sculptural landscape. This Installation Garden is presented as Pakistan’s first large-scale curated outdoor installation project, designed to reimagine public space as a setting for reflection, encounter and dialogue.
Curated by Noor Fatima, the show gathers a wide range of practices that engage with space, time, materiality, ecology and collective experience. “In the Meantime is an invitation to slow down and engage with space differently. By bringing contemporary installations into an open, public environment, the exhibition encourages reflection on time, material, and collective presence,” said Noor Fatima, underlining the need for institutions to support large-scale experimental work.
The inauguration was led by Mr. Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, Federal Minister for National Heritage & Culture Division, with His Excellency Mr. Georg Steiner, Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, also attending as chief guest. Ms. Farah Naz Akbar, Parliamentary Secretary for National Heritage & Culture Division, joined dignitaries including ambassadors from the Czech Republic, China, the Philippines and Ethiopia, Mr. Muhammad Ayoub Jamali Director General PNCA, senior PNCA officials, artists, cultural practitioners and members of the press.
The exhibition features works by Abdul Jabbar Gull, Ain Tamkeen, Asjad Faraz, Azma Sarwar, Bilal Jabbar, Casim Mahmood, Ehtisham Jadoon, Faizan Naveed, Hafsa Nouman Qureshi, Hassan Ali, Hassan Mujtaba, Hassan Sheikh, Hidayat Marwat, Hussain Jamil, Imran Hunzai, Jamil Baloch, Maheen Riaz, Maha Sohail, Mishaim Gardezi, Muhammad Ahsan, Nazir Hunzai, Neele Ahmed, Nolwenn Keraudren, Rafiqullah Khan, Suleman Faisal, Tayyaba Idrees Qureshi, Ubaid Tariq, Waheed Latif, Yahya Khan, Zahid-ul-Haq and Zahra Jadoon, offering visitors a multiplicity of perspectives across scale and material.
By situating installations within an accessible outdoor setting, PNCA reinforces its commitment to progressive artistic practices, large-scale experimentation and cross-cultural exchange. The Installation Garden invites Islamabad audiences and visiting publics to encounter contemporary art beyond conventional gallery formats and to consider how art can animate shared civic spaces. The exhibition remains open to the public at the PNCA lawns in Islamabad, offering a contemplative and open-air experience.
