Beyond DNA 2 : Exploring ​Identity, Memory & Artistry

Beyond DNA 2 : Exploring ​Identity, Memory & Artistry in Islamabad, Pakistan​

We’re excited to share that Sadaf Naeem, one of the artists represented on ART 77 Gallery, is co-curating an exhibition in Islamabad called Beyond DNA 2. The show opened Thursday, 11 September 2025, 5:00-7:30 pm at Tanzara Gallery, Saidpur Village Islamabad, Pakistan, and runs through 24 September.

What the Show Is About

Beyond DNA 2 is a project of Studio RM, led by Sadaf Naeem & Saulat Ajmal. It brings together a number of contemporary Pakistani artists whose work interprets the idea of DNA not just biologically, but as metaphor — identity, memory, our interconnectedness, how cultural, social, and emotional heredity shape us. 

14 Artists at the exhibition

Abdul Jabbar Gul, Adeel uz Zafar, Ali Azmat, Attiya Shaukat, Kishwar Kiani, Laila Rahman, Mizna Zulfiqar, Muhammed Zeeshan, Mudassar Manzoor, Rahat Masud, RM Naeem, Saulat Ajmal, Sana Arjumand, Zaheer Chaudry.

• Sadaf Naeem
  Sadaf is a Pakistani visual artist working in painting, sculpture, and installation. She holds a BFA from the National College of Arts, Lahore, and has exhibited extensively both in Pakistan and abroad. Her work often centers on themes of women's agency, spaces of domesticity, repetitive patterns, and the interplay between physical & metaphysical dimensions.
• • Check out Sadaf's work on our website here: Sadaf Naeem
    
    
• Saulat Ajmal
  Saulat is a visual artist, writer, curator, and educator. She trained with MFAs/BFAs (including Virginia Commonwealth University, Hunter College) and works across painting, performance, installation. Her artistic language weaves together patterns, fluid forms, gestures, and a blending of Eastern & Western art historical references. Her work in Beyond DNA 2 helps anchor the curatorial vision alongside Sadaf. 

Banner artwork by Saulat Ajmal;  Sittin’ Pretty, Acrylic and Vinyl on Canvas, 152 x 137 cm, 2022

Why This Matters

Beyond DNA 2 is an important moment for contemporary art in Pakistan because it pushes beyond surface aesthetics into themes many of us live but don’t always see expressed: heritage, memory, identity, how we carry generational stories (both visible and invisible). For art lovers, critics, students, and anyone curious about how art intersects with us as people, it’s a chance to engage with work that questions as much as it reveals.