New Narratives in Photography - Pakistan

This exhibition showcases new work from Pakistan, made by artists Asad Ali, Hira Noor, Ume Laila, and Waleed Zafar.

The artists use photography in adopting socially engaged processes and exploring narratives of community, public space, identity and diaspora.

Their work questions the archive, community and public space.Based in Lahore, Pakistan, the artists took part in an international exchange in 2023/24 devised and produced by photography organisations GRAIN Projects, UK and Tasweerghar, Pakistan, part of the British Council’s Arts Residency Programme.The images you see here are a selection curated from the projects started during the residency and expanded following dialogue, mentoring and an R&D visit to the UK, which included Glasgow.

The residency also created new connections and networks within the UK, including with Street Level Photoworks.The exhibition at Hillhead Library marks the 20th anniversary of the twinning of Glasgow and Lahore, in September 2006.

One of the purposes of this is to strengthen cultural dialogue, education and community connections, supporting the large Glasgow-Pakistani diaspora originating from the Punjab region, of which Lahore is the capital.GRAIN Projects and Tasweerghar are organisations that support photography as an art form, developing new ways for artists to experiment and extend their practice and for participants and audiences to engage.

The exhibition features as part of Street Level’s offsite programme, which forges partnerships locally and regionally to grow audiences for photography.The exhibition is part of the Season of Photography 2026, a celebration of photography in Scotland running from 1st September – 20th December 2026.Image: © Hira Noor