The Foreign Policy Institute, Asia Programs, Muse District, & Indus hosted Kaleidoscope Pakistan, an exhibition of works by Naureen Bokhari, curated by Muse District.The photography exhibit and reception were hosted in association with Pakistan Beyond Seventy: The Long View, a conference hosted by Johns Hopkins SAIS Asia Programs & Lahore University of Management Sciences. The event was on the record and open to the media.
Decades of war on terror and militancy in Pakistan have dominated headlines about a complex culture and country that has shown tremendous resilience against rising militancy and fundamentalist narratives. Under the headlines that scar the image, there also lies a Pakistan that is remarkably rich in culture and heritage, ranging from soulful and eclectic music, poignant Sufi poetry, creative cinema dominated by young filmmakers, and a thriving visual arts scene.
Kaleidoscope Pakistan is an exhibit of works by photographer Naureen Bohkhari which seeks to dismantle stereotypes of Pakistan by celebrating its architectural heritage through photography. It compels viewers to rethink the rich heritage, arts, and craftsmanship that has thrived for centuries. The photographs capture stunning visuals of the inner city of Lahore, which, today, is a bustling city of 11 million people and a thriving center for the arts.
About the Photographer
Naureen Bokhari is a professional portrait photographer based out of Virginia. She has been shooting weddings, events and portraits since 2004. She also ran one of the first online weekly web magazines called "The Saturday Post," which was the first Pakistani web magazine based out of the United States with a global audience of 100,000 month. She bid farewell to the magazine in 2011 and focused full time on her passion: photography. Naureen has a flair for depicting humor through her poems, which are mostly about everyday life and frustrations that come from a clash of American and Pakistani cultures and traditions. She also loves to travel and document her travels through pictures of cities and landscapes. This collection is from a series of her travels to Pakistan.
Muse District is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. and a space for creative expression and intellectual collaboration across the South Asian diaspora in the United States. Built along the premise that the language of arts and culture is an integral tool for communicating with the global community, Muse District showcases the work of artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians from South Asia and beyond.