Muzzumil Ruheel is a visual artist working from Karachi, Pakistan. His practice investigates language, perception, and what happens in the space between observation and understanding.

Working across painting, installation, text, sculpture, and augmented reality, he has explored how language functions when it meets power — when it is suppressed, when it is misread, when it dissolves entirely. More recently, his work has turned toward questions of interiority: what happens when we pause, when we are still, when we meet ourselves without the noise of the world interfering.

He does not claim to have answers. His work poses questions. It presents what he has observed and invite the viewer to look closely and think for themselves.

His practice is ongoing. It continues.

Ruheel studied calligraphy under master Khurshid Gohar Qalam in Lahore and holds degrees in Political Science, Journalism and Literature, and in Fine Art from Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. Over the years he has developed a practice that is both rooted in his context and far-reaching in its scope.

He has presented solo exhibitions across Pakistan, the UK, Germany, Dubai, India, and the USA. His work has been shown at major national and international platforms including the Young Moscow Biennale, Colombo Art Biennale, Lahore Biennale, Karachi Biennale, Cairo Documenta, Darmstadt Museum, Kaladham Museum, WIP Konsthall, Museo Diocesano Carlo Maria Martini, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Universität der Künste, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Art Dubai, and the India Art Fair.

His works are part of important private and institutional collections worldwide, and his practice has been featured in leading art publications.

Exhibition

Solo Exhibitions

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

Tigers & Dragons – Curated by zehra jumabhoy, Glynn Vivian Gallery, Wales, UK, 2025
Dialogues Across Time. Curated by Saira Danish Ahmed, Chawkandi Art Gallery, Karachi, 2025
The Written Image, Curated by Sydney Barofsky, South Asia Insiture, Chicago, USA, 2025
Spring Contemporary [RED], Grosvenor Gallery, London 2025
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

Publications
Encryption, Decryption- The Politics of Language. zohreen Murtaza,The Karachi Collective, 2023 The Power of language, Peerzada Salman, Dawn 2023  Disappearing tongues, Quddus Mirza, 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, 2019LinguisticMisgivings’, 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