We are honoured to offer for the first time works by the Pakistani contemporary artist Muzzumil Ruheel, who lives and works in Karachi. Having studied at Government Degree College in Lahore, Ruheel went on to receive his second bachelor's degree in Visual Arts, from Beacon House National University. Ruheel was also trained in the traditional techniques of Urdu, Arabic and Persian calligraphy before enrolling in art school. Calligraphy unsurprisingly is at the heart of his oeuvre and plays a critical role in his works.

Using calligraphy as a medium for his artistic practices, Ruheel writes and rewrites significant stories, which contemplate and question the documented history and time. His compositions juxtapose jumbled repeated calligraphy assembled against monochromatic minimalist backgrounds. This creates layers of illusion and reality as our perceptions distort depending on how and where the focus is placed. His works at a distance appear as meditative minimalist paintings yet up close are monumental folios ready to be read. Ruheel’s works are conceptual, situated between the fictional and actual and question notions of truth, fiction, reality and the art of storytelling.