Muzzumil Ruheel is a visual artist whose work intricately blends fiction with reality through insightful observation and narrative exploration. With a practice deeply rooted in examining history, culture, and identity, Muzzumil employs art as a dynamic medium to question and redefine conventional narratives. His creations are known for posing profound questions, analyzing complex themes, and engaging with diverse subjects, including history, literature, language, cultural norms, faith, memories, and philosophy.
Muzzumil is based in Karachi. He was born in Lahore in 1985 and is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Beacon House National University (BNU) 2009. He has been part of the faculty at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (Karachi), the School of Visual Arts, Beacon House National University (Lahore) and the Visual Studies Department at the Karachi University. Muzzumil has had exhibitions nationally and internationally. His work is part of important public and private collections.
Exhibition
Solo Exhibitions
Khayal/ Imagine curated by Saima Zaidi,Khaliq Dina Hall , Numaish Karachi,2024
on Emptiness, Friday Gallery, Los Angeles, 2024
Speechless, Canvas Gallery, Karachi 2024
We shall meet here, Coburg, Germany, 2023
Choose your words carefully, Canvas Gallery, Karachi 2023
The Pauses, Onewall, 1×1 Gallery, Dubai, 2021
A Guide to Nonsensical Dreams, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2021
Confessions of the wait, 1×1 Gallery, Dubai, 2020
Misunderstandings, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2019
Baato Se Baat Nikali Hai,Tarq Gallery, Mumbai, 2018
Point of No Return, Rohtas Gallery, Lahore, 2018
Hearsay, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2017
Lost in His Own Garden, Grosvenor Gallery, London, 2016
The Alternate Life of Lies, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2015
And His Beard Grew and Grew and Grew…, Rohtas Gallery, Lahore, 2015
But Some of Them Never Happened?, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2014
The Social “Animals”, Koel Gallery, Karachi, 2013
It’s Only Words, Rohtas Gallery, Lahore, 2012
I Do Not Quote From Scriptures; I Simply See What I See, V.M. Gallery, Karachi, 2011
Biennales, Fairs & Festivals
Crafting the contemporary. London Design Festival, London, 2024
Design Summit, Lahore 2024
35th Design Days, Coburg, Germany, 2023
Red, Grosvenor Gallery, Art Dubai, Dubai, 2023
Hims Academy, Schloss eyrichshof, Germany. 2022
Meeting Point, India Art Fair, Dehli. 2022
DCAW, Dehli 2021
Between the sun and the moon, Lahore Biennale 2020
India Art Fair,Tarq, Delhi, 2020
Exit strategy, PNCA, Islamabad Art Festival, 2019
In other wor(l)d (solo), Canvas Gallery, Art Dubai, Dubai, 2019
The Quantum City’, International Public Art Festival, Karachi, 2019
India Art Fair,Tarq, Delhi, 2019
In between the lines (solo),Art Dubai, Canvas Gallery, Dubai 2018
Witness, Karachi Biennale, 2017
Imago Mundi Project, Venice Biennale, 2017
Open the Door, PGIAR, Colombo Art Biennale, 2016
Letter of Apology,Abhisaran Booth, India Art Fair, 2015
Pastures Still Green, IV Young Moscow International Biennial, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, 2014
Sindh Art Festival, Frere Hall, Karachi, 2014
Still Exotic, Collaborative Project with Mohammed Abdelkarim, Cairo Documenta, Egypt, 2010
Bastakiya Art Fair, Dubai, 2009
Selected Group Exhibitions
Knowledge of the Ancients, curated by Zahra Khan, at Barkat Ali Hall, Lahore. 2024
DHARTI DHAR DHAR DHARKE GI, curated by Salima Hashmi, COMO Museum, Lahore, 2024
Crafting the contemporary. Numaish, Mohatta palace Museum, Karachi 2024
Volume of Air, curated by Ahmed Faizan Naveed, Haam Gallery, Lahore, 2024
Suno (Listen), 1×1 Gallery, Dubai, 2024
Olive Branch, curated by Nafisa Rizvi, Koel Gallery, Karachi, 2024
Modern and contemporary, Grosvenor Gallery, London 2023
Animalia, curated by León Krempel and Ismail Mukadam, Darmstadt Museum, Germany 2023
Event, Memory, Metaphor, curated by Anish Gawande, Tarq, Mumbai, 2022
Re-examine / Retrace,AAN Gandhara Art Space,Karachi. 2021
Navigating Geometries,Tarq, Mumbai, 2020
Tapestry of Fading Gardens, 1×1 Gallery, Dubai, 2020
Pioneer Artist Residency III, Canvas Gallery, Khushaab, 2019
Art For Education, Museo Diocesano Carlo Maria Martini, Milan, 2018
Multiple Narratives, Grosvenor Gallery, London, 2018
Layering the City, Siddhartha Art Gallery, Kathmandu, 2017
Digging Deep, Crossing Far, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin, 2016
In Letter and Spirit,Tarq, Mumbai, 2016
Mohatta Palace Musuem, Karachi, 2015
Letter of Apology (Performance), OPJ Museum, Vijyanagar, Collateral Event Kochi Muziris Biennale, 2014
Letter of Apology, Kaladham Museum,Vijyanagar, 2014
Present Re-Inventions, Grosvenor Gallery, London, 2014
International Emerging Artist Award Show, Dubai, 2014
Shape, Pattern and Form, Art Factum, Beirut, 2014
Crossing Over, Gallery Latitude 28, New Delhi, 2013
Stop-Look-Listen, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2013
Seven, Full Circle Gallery, Karachi, 2012
Text Me, Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, Dubai, 2012
Band Baaja Baraat, Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi, 2012
Items of Dual Use,V.M. Gallery, Karachi, 2011
Items of Dual Use, Wip Konshtall, Stockholm, 2011
Vasl Rohtas Rawan International Artists Residency Show, Rohtas I, Islamabad, 2011
Combinations, Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2010
Canvas Gallery, Karachi, 2009
Space Invader Show,Aicon Gallery, London, 2009
Beaconhouse National University Degree Show, Almahra Art Gallery, Lahore, 2009
Through Other Eyes, Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry, 2009
Through Other Eyes,The Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea, 2009
Media as Medium Show, UDK, Berlin, 2008
Moti Roti 360° 60 x 60 Secs by Moti Roti, Pakistan, India and UK, 2008
Envoy of Wisdom, National Art Gallery, Islamabad, 2008
Workshops, Residencies & Projects
Jhulay lal, Crafting the contemporary in collaboration with Irene Albino. Numaish, Karachi 2024
Pioneer Artist Residency III, Khushaab, 2019
Abhisaran JSW Residency,Vijyanagar, 2014
Vasl International New Media Artists’ Workshop, Karachi, 2012
Vasl Rohtas Rawan International Artists’ Residency, Islamabad, 2011
Media as a Medium Workshop, Lahore and Berlin, 2008
Architectural Calligraphy Workshop,Anjuman-e-Memran, Lahore, 2004
Calligraphy Workshop, National College of Arts, Lahore, 2002
Publications
Encryption, Decryption- The Politics of Language. zohreen Murtaza,The Karachi Collective, 2023
The Power of language, Peerzada Salman, Dawn 2023
Disappearing tongues, Encore, The News 2023
When it comes to tech-art, Mint Lounge, 2022
Art Divvy Conversation with Muzzumil Ruheel, 2021
‘Loss and Tension in the Exploration of Text in/as Image in Pakistani Art’ Zohreen Murtaza , The Karachi Collective, 2021
‘A Guide to Nonsensical Dreams’ Maha Mihaj, The Karachi Collective, 2021
‘At This Still Point Of Time ’, Amra Ali , DAWN, 2021
‘Construction and Confinement’, Ranjit Hoskote, Tarq Artist Talk, 2020
‘Failure to Communicate’, Salwat Ali , DAWN, 2019
‘Language at Hand’, Quddus Mirza, The News, 2019
’LinguisticMisgivings’, Peerzada Salman,DAWN,2019
‘Multitudes of Perspectives’, Nadeem Zuberi, The News, 2019
Art Dubai Again, Artnow Magazine,2019
Art Dubai 2019 Review, Zena Khan, Hello Magazine, 2019
‘Pakistan’s Radioactive Decade – An Informal Cultural History of the 1970s’, 2019
‘Play of Words’, Sanjana Srinivasan,Art India Magazine, 2019
‘Art with Urdu Calligraphy’, Zahra Amiruddin,The Hindu, 2019
‘The Letter is Enough After All’ (Catalogue), Gemma Sharpe,Tarq, 2019
‘Meet the 40 Artists Under the Age of 40’, December Issue,Vogue India, 2018
‘In Between the Lines’ (Catalogue),Art Dubai, 2018
‘Hearsay’, Numair A.Abbasi,Art Now Pakistan, 2017
‘The Nature of Truth, Nimra Khan, DAWN, 2017
‘Multiple Notions’, Nadeem Zuberi, Business Recorder, 2017
‘Hearsay, Not Hearsay’, Peerzada Salman, DAWN, 2017
‘A Picture In Words’, Samar Faisal Zia, Herald, 2016
‘Lost in His Own Garden’, Saima Munawar,Art Now Pakistan, 2016
‘In Letter and Spirit’ (Catalogue), Ranjit Hoskote,Tarq, 2016
‘The Beauty of Letters’, Huzan Tata,Verve Magazine, India, 2016
‘Love Letters’, Kimberly Garza, KimGarza Magazine, Berlin, 2016
‘The Eye Still Seeks’, Salima Hashmi, 2015
‘Written in Beauty’, Shurthi Srinath, Deccan Herlad, 2015
(Catalogue),Abhisaran, India, 2015
‘Present Re-Inventions’,Art Now Pakistan, 2014
‘Piecing it Together’, Maryam Usman,The Express Tribune, 2014
‘Transcendence’ (Catalogue), 2014
‘Social Animals’, M. Saeed Kureshi, DAWN, 2013
‘The Caricatures of Social Animals’,Veera Rustomji, DAWN, 2013
‘Crossing-Over’ Ilena Bose,The Wall Art Magazine, New Delhi, 2013
‘No Ordinary Language’, Maureen Korp, Guerilla Magazine, Issue 34, 2012
‘Exploring Language and Text Through Art’, Khaleejesque, 2012
The National,Abu Dhabi, 2012
Artist Talk, Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, Dubai, 2012
‘New Perspectives, Newer Possibilities,’ Gemma Sharpe, Herald, 2012
Vasl Workshop, Eman Mahmud, Art Now Pakistan, 2012
‘The Secret of Words’, Aasim Akhtar, Friday Times, 2011
Artist Talk, Rohtas Rawan Studio, Islamabad, 2011
‘Items of Dual Use’,V.M. Gallery and Wip Konshtall, Stockholm (Catalogue), 2011
‘Is This the Helmet of Mambrino?’, Gemma Sharp, Shifter Magazine, 2010
‘Through Other Eyes’ (Catalogue), Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry, 2009
‘Parallel Lines’ (Catalogue), Bradford City Art Gallery and Museum, 2008
‘Art for the Sake of the People’, Quddus Mirza,The News, 2007
‘Source of Inspiration’, Farida Batool, 2006
‘Tantalizing Text’, Saira Dar,The Nation, 2006
‘Modern Calligraphers, Makhzan-e-Khatati’, Khurshid Gohar, 2006