At the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad, a new solo exhibition is challenging the traditional boundaries of Islamic art. Opened on December 12, 2025, by UNESCO Representative Fuad Pashayev, the collection by artist Yusuf Khan presents a startling juxtaposition: the divine perfection of the Kufic script set against the weathered, monochrome faces of Pakistan’s working class.
This isn’t just an art show; it is a visual diary of a life spent in public service. Khan, a former member of the Pakistan Administrative Service who only began his professional painting journey at age 54, has spent 36 years traversing the country. His work is the result of that long look at the “real” Pakistan.
A Dual Narrative: Kufic and Character
The exhibition, titled Quranic Calligraphy and Paintings, moves in two powerful, distinct directions that eventually meet in the middle to tell a story of integrity.
Khan utilizes a minimalist, contemporary Kufic script to render Quranic verses. Rather than focusing on purely ornamental beauty, he selects verses that act as a “social code”, emphasizing justice, honesty, and the keeping of promises. The colors are vibrant and the lines are clean, stripping away the baroque “noise” to let the message speak.
On the opposite walls, the vibrant colors disappear, replaced by hauntingly detailed black-and-white portraits. These are the faces of the people Khan encountered during his decades in civil service, the rural women, the street-side cobblers, and the elderly artisans. By painting them in monochrome, Khan strips away the “distraction” of status, revealing a quiet, monumental dignity.
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The Art of Social Ethics
During the inauguration, UNESCO’s Fuad Pashayev noted that Khan’s calligraphy is “not ornamental but focused on social behavior.” This is perhaps the exhibition’s greatest strength: it argues that the spirituality found in the holy verses is perfectly mirrored in the resilience and honesty of a common laborer.
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For Khan, the “faces of Pakistan” are the living embodiment of the values he paints in script. By placing a masterfully lettered verse about “Kindness” next to a portrait of a sun-worn artisan, he forces the viewer to see the sacred in the ordinary.
The exhibition continues at Gallery No. 6, PNCA, through December 19, 2025.
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