[Dubai/ Lahore – April 18, 2025] – Internationally acclaimed artist Imran Qureshi returns to the UAE with a major solo exhibition, Vanishing Points, presented as the centerpiece of Alserkal Art Week under the theme A Wild Stitch. Supported by Nature Morte Gallery and curated by Nada Raza, the exhibition is currently on view at Concrete Gallery until 20th April 2025.
A central figure in South Asia’s contemporary art scene, Qureshi is best known for leading the miniature department at the National College of Art and for his influential practice that reinterprets Mughal miniature painting in a contemporary context. In “Vanishing Points”, Qureshi dismantles the traditional single-point perspective of miniature art, fusing it with the immediacy of street photography and lens-based media.
“Imran Qureshi is not just one of the world’s leading artists of contemporary neo-miniature, as it has come to be called,” shares curator Nada Raza, “His recent work and this exhibition demonstrate that he can work at an incredible scale, that he thinks spatially, and that he is always attentive to and inspired by the world.”
At the heart of the show is a new site-specific commission for Concrete titled “Opening Word of this New Scripture”. Utilizing the iconic OMA-designed building, Qureshi transforms its largest wall into the pages of a painted manuscript. Traditional Indo-Persian motifs are reimagined using vibrant nylon rope woven into geometric forms with playful seating elements, inviting visitors to physically inhabit the layered composition.
The exhibition further includes several major works of Qureshi’s being shown internationally for the first time, including “Still/Moving” (2019), a video installation that captures a mirror mosaic rendition of the Kaaba, reflecting daily life as if sacred ritual, “Deen o Duniya” (Faith and World) (2022), presented in a mirrored room, where vibrant LED lights create a kaleidoscopic, disorienting experience, and the photo series “This Shared Vision, Yours and Mine” (2018–2024), which explores visual perception and dimensionality.
Colour symbolism is central to Qureshi’s practice. He explains, “The blue of the sky and the red pigment I often use have political resonance. Together they narrate a new story—especially post 9/11, where global powers reshape the world to suit themselves.”
Through his integration of Mughal miniature techniques with contemporary media such as video, photography, and site-specific installation, Qureshi presents a distinct approach that challenges conventional perspectives. His return to the UAE after seven years, with “Vanishing Points”, highlights the continued relevance of his practice and reinforces his position as a leading figure in global contemporary art.