Muzzumil is a visual artist. He writes fiction through his artworks based on the discourse that ensues with core observation. The works that emerge are either a question, analysis, or response to his research, findings, and tales. His practice is conceptual, usually fiddling between the fictional and actual, Exploring different trajectories like 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

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‘I Do Not Quote From Scriptures; I Simply See What I See’,V.M. Gallery, Karachi, 2011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 

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

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, 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