INGRAINED: Exhibition at Koel Art Gallery

''Ingrained: Wood in a Cross-Section of Time" exhibition at Koel Gallery in Karachi was curated by Zahra Ebrahim and Naila Mahmood, featuring 16 artists whose works explored the forms and lives of trees and wood, from furniture to musical instruments and artefacts. The exhibition was part of the gallery's series on "The Craft Traditions of Pakistan," which bridges the divide between arts and crafts. It ran from its opening on August 12, 2025, until at least September 6, 2025

The highlights of the exhibition can be viewed on the Koel Website with the link below:
INGRAINED: KOEL GALLERY WEBSITE

Dawn News published an article about the exhibition which can be found here below:
DAWN- EXHIBITION: KNOCK ON WOOD, Nusrat Khawaja

Raasmia Haque's Artist Statement
Wood; a material used to spark fire, offer warmth, forge weapons, and fuel creation, has long been entangled with human life. It shifts forms across time: as tool, as shelter, as an object of necessity. In domestic histories, it appears as utensils and even as wearables, like shoes. It is shaved, cut, grained, and formed — shaped by hand and, now, by machines. In the 21st century, wood remains ever-relevant, but its manipulation has evolved. Through machines, lasers, and digital design, it is redefined, where hardware and software intertwine with labour and industry.
In this body of work, oak wood becomes the material of imagined futures. The artefacts act as utopian propositions: part critique, part amalgamation of household objects,  traditionally associated with women, reimagined through the lens of collective use. These forms explore, sometimes quite literally, what it means "to be in another's shoes." Embedded within them are the quiet labours of daily life: cradling a child, winnowing wheat, sieving flour, straining tea leaves, grinding spices, preparing a meal.
Each artefact curates these domestic tasks into multifunctional, non-gender-specific designs. In doing so, they propose a shift from assumed gender roles to shared responsibilities. These artefacts are gestures toward new futures, where care and labour are communal, rather than assigned.