While the start of 2026 has been dominated by courtroom dramas and digital milestones, a quieter, more profound cultural moment took center stage at the National Art Gallery this week. On January 6, 2026, the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), in collaboration with the National Heritage & Culture Division, unveiled ‘The Call of the Divine.’ This wasn’t just another art exhibition; it was a multi-generational odyssey into the heart of Islamic spirituality, featuring the celebrated Baig family.
The exhibition, which ran until January 8, transformed the gallery into a space of meditative beauty. At its core, the show challenged the notion that calligraphy is a static, ancient craft. Instead, Razwan Baig, Shazian Baig, and Shanzay Baig presented it as a living, breathing dialogue between the sacred past and a contemporary future.
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A Family of Master Craftsmen
The Baig family has long been a pillar of the Pakistani art world, but seeing their collective works in one space offered a rare look at their individual philosophies.
Razwan Baig, a renowned scholar and researcher, showcased his mastery of the contemporary Kufic script. Having exhibited at global icons like the British Museum, Razwan brought a historical gravity to the room, proving why his research into Islamic manuscripts remains world-class.
Shazian Baig added a layer of modern versatility. Trained under masters across the Middle East, Shazian is a fascinating polymath, balancing his deep practice in Islamic art with his studies in medicine. His work bridges the precision of science with the fluidity of the pen.
Shanzay Baig pushed the boundaries even further. As a geometrist and sculptor, her contributions focused on the architectural soul of Islamic monuments. Her use of marquetry and geometric inquiry reminded viewers that the ‘divine call’ is written not just in ink, but in the very structures we inhabit.
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A Cultural Reckoning
The inauguration, led by the chief guest and legendary artist Jamal Shah, emphasized the importance of this unique synthesis. Shah noted that the Baig family doesn’t merely preserve tradition; they reinterpret it for a 2026 audience that is increasingly searching for identity and grounding. Director General PNCA, M. Ayoub Jamali, echoed this sentiment, describing the exhibition as a ‘uniting force’ between heritage and modern expression.
The inclusion of an Artist Talk allowed the public to move beyond the aesthetic and into the intellectual, discussing the spiritual weight of Quranic verses and their role in shaping Pakistani culture. As the exhibition wrapped up on January 8, it left behind a powerful reminder: in an age of digital noise, the scratch of a reed pen still has the power to command a nation’s attention.
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