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2.14 Evoke
Living in Hunza

Lubna's Art Journal

I grew up in Hunza Valley, where afternoons were spent embroidering caps with Ammi and sharing Fitti bread with chai—filling the spaces between our daily tasks.

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As a child, I was bothered by the fact that Fitti bread only came in round shapes. I imagined it could be moulded into so many different forms, offering more variety and amusement (at least to me). What puzzled me even more was that no one else seemed to care about this “problem.” Looking back, I realise that this was probably the first time I thought about reshaping the world around me. Those moments, when I marveled at the untapped potential of shaping Fitti with Ammi, ended up shaping my interest in altering perspectives, whether through objects, thoughts, or beliefs.

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As I grew older, I began questioning the belief systems that were widely followed in my community. And over time, I lost my connection to those beliefs, and with it, a sense of belonging. Losing that connection left me feeling empty—much like the emptiness people often feel when they’re disconnected from someone, something, or someplace. For years, I allowed that emptiness to consume me, and in turn, it fed my expression.

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PEARLS ON A MOUNTAIN

Site-specific installation photograph,location Gutoming, Nangaparbat Viewpoint, Murtazabad, Hunza, 2019, Lubna Aslam

The balloons represent pearls found in the ocean. If an influential person were to claim they are pearls, people would believe them and set off to the mountains in search of them. Through this installation, I aim to highlight how easily we are deceived and how quickly we accept these lies.

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CAGE WITH 3 DOORS

Found object, 2019/20, Lubna Aslam

As part of my reflection on the similarities between humans and birds, I found cages and created installations, each holding its own meaning. For example, one cage is shaped like a coffin with three sections, representing how society expects us to behave in childhood, adulthood, and old age. We don't have to follow these stages or conform to societal expectations, which is what the three doors symbolise. But we do, and in doing so, we become trapped in this coffin-shaped cage, limiting our independent thinking and exploration. The twig represents us: it has the potential to move in many directions but ends up following the prescribed path of these stages.

 

Through found objects, I discover meanings and share them through installations. In return, viewers share their own interpretations with me, creating a cycle.

The emptiness I referred to earlier—the one that fed my expression—eventually started consuming me to the point where I became afraid of my thoughts. To ground myself, I tried to "fool myself" by staying busy with the things happening around me. It was during this time that I began exploring themes of environmental and cultural degradation. I continue to grapple with thoughts about the future and the uncertainties of life, but for now, these explorations have given me a sense of connection that I was missing.

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SCULPTED WHISPERS

(ECHOES OF A MELTING WORLD)

70ft Fish

North Pakistan

A 70 feet installation created with pebbles and sand to symbolise the dying presence of marine life in Hunza Valley. 

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THE POETIC EXPRESSION

Lead Artist: Imran Ullah Hunzai

Co-artist: Neeli Ahmed, Lubna Aslam, Nazir Ahmed, Sherbaz Khan

Medium: Sand and Stone

Language: Brushaski

A poem about water scarcity and human regret, written by Imran Hunzai and inscribed in my mother tongue, Burushaski , using sand and stone.

THE SNOW LEOPARD

Lead Artist: Imran Ullah Hunzai

Co-artist: Neeli Ahmed, Lubna Aslam, Nazir Ahmed, Sherbaz Khan

Medium: Frozen Stream

A snow leopard sculpture created on a frozen lake in the Gilgit-Baltistan region to raise awareness about their endangerment.

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VICTORY

Medium: Brass, Lubna Aslam

I’ve sculpted the claws of the hen, often called Garkamuch in my village, for several reasons. First, I see people as similar to hens. Society has conditioned us to follow norms without questioning them. We convince ourselves that we know what’s best and that we are winning, but we remain isolated from our true thoughts and from other perspectives. I believe we cannot succeed until we reach a state of awareness where we seek to understand ourselves. The claw, shaped into a Victory sign, represents this idea.

HOME

Medium: Brass, Lubna Aslam

Like migratory birds, I do not have a “thikana”. Like them, I keep migrating between temporary homes in search of belonging and survival. 

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HANI BALING

Medium: Brass, 2024, Lubna Aslam

At home, when guests arrive, the best dry fruits are brought out and served to them, while we never get to enjoy them ourselves. In this piece, I’ve sculpted dry fruits out of brass as a metaphor for how tourists in my valley receive the best, while the residents are left to bear the consequences of the degradation caused by the exploitative and transactional nature of their visits.

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Photograph from All Pakistan Performing arts competition GIK 2017

I've also explored performance art and theatre. In this photo from a mime performance, I was shaped by my creator. After seeing the harm I caused to others, the creator decided to break me, and in doing so, began to break down as well. The message was about how even as passive observers, our awareness of society affects us.

Art has served as both a refuge and a mirror for me—helping me express thoughts that often lead to moments of darkness, where time and reality blur. Yet, it also brings me back to reality, providing a space to share my expressions and connect with others. Through my journey of exploring various mediums and forms of art, I’ve come to realise the impact it has on both creating, understanding and sharing. As I continue to develop my artistic practice, I also plan to explore art therapy, not only as a way to deepen my own self-exploration but to help others find meaning and connection. 

MYSTICETI & FRIENDS

Lubna is one of the four artists selected for the ART programme, Edition 1, co-curated by Terrain.art and Mysticeti. The programme aims to equip emerging art practitioners from South Asia with the tools to present their work and connect it to broader trends in the art world.

Lubna Aslam is a visual artist based in Lahore, Pakistan. She earned her BFA with distinction in Fine Art, majoring in Sculpture, from the National College of Arts, Lahore, in 2020. Through her practice, she seeks to express her interpretations of existence,  often drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives.

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terrain.art is an online platform showcasing emerging physical and digital contemporary art from South Asia. It aims to build a global ecosystem that highlights artistic practices, provides accessible educational resources, and centralises archival processes.

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