Naira Mushtaq Pakistan, b. 1990

Naira Mushtaq’s work explores notions of nationhood and identity through the lens of her home country of Pakistan. Contradictory histories are exposed in a painting process that oscillates between disclosure and disintegration, emphasising the fallacy of memory and the ease with which images can be manipulated.  

Working in series, which are often revisited, Mushtaq investigates what it means to bear witness and the ways in which an archive of images can disseminate narratives of totalitarianism, nationalism, colonialism and their consequences. By breaking down images through cropping or reframing and painting these objective views, Mushtaq creates new narratives that expose the mechanics of political control. Her paintings become acts of resistance: vessels of memories and instinctive knowledge from a life lived under despotic rule.

Mushtaq lives and works in London, UK and holds an MA in Painting from Central Saint Martins, London where she received the International Vice-Chancellor Scholarship. Notable solo and group exhibitions include The Subject is the subject is…, Pristine Contemporary, Delhi, India, Through a Glass, Darkly, Niru Ratnam Gallery, London, UK, Summer Exhibition 2025, Royal Academy, London, UK, and Bringing the Spice, Raven Row, London, UK.