“[Un]framing Gender”: Culture Lab LIC’s Dialogue on Identity and Expression

"[Un]framing Gender": Culture Lab LIC’s Dialogue on Identity and Expression

The opening reception of [Un]framing Gender at Culture Lab LIC on June 5th was nothing short of electric. The gallery buzzed with an energy that only comes when art speaks to the zeitgeist and challenges viewers to reconsider fundamental assumptions about identity, culture, and self-expression. This captivating exhibition, co-curated by acclaimed Pakistani curator Pomme Amina Gohar and Culture Lab LIC's Artistic Director Tess Howsam, brings together artists from Pakistan, South Asia, and America in a powerful dialogue about gender fluidity and cultural boundaries.

The evening began with the haunting melodies of Ven Ram's hansaveena, a rare Indian stringed instrument whose ethereal tones seemed to dissolve the gallery walls, creating an immediate sense of cultural bridge-building. Accompanied by tabla drums and vocals, the live performance set the perfect tone for what would unfold as a multicultural celebration of artistic expression and identity exploration.

"I'm so proud today that we present artists from New York, South Asia and Pakistan," noted co-curator Pomme Amina Gohar during the opening. "The beauty of this show is that we have our veteran artists and emerging stars in the same show. There is a lot of young talent here to discover." This sentiment perfectly encapsulates the exhibition's democratic approach to showcasing diverse voices across generational and geographical lines.

Building from Gohar's 2022 exhibition 'Zenana Murdana' in Pakistan, [Un]framing Gender offers viewers an opportunity to traverse what the curators describe as "the intricate terrains of gender, identity, culture, and self-expression through the artistic lens." The show succeeds brilliantly in creating a vibrant space for conversation and introspection, encouraging audiences to reconsider how culture, power, and personal expression intersect across geographical boundaries.

Qinza Najm: The Poetry of Dissolution

The undisputed highlight of the exhibition belongs to Pakistani-American interdisciplinary artist Qinza Najm, whose grayscale works, originally painted in 2016, finally find their perfect curatorial home. Najm's pieces operate in a liminal space between presence and absence, creating what she describes as figures that "resist cultural coding and blur the lines between visibility and erasure, vulnerability and strength."

Her veiled and fragmented figures seem to emerge from and dissolve back into architectural forms, creating a visual metaphor for how identity itself can be both constructed and deconstructed. The three works were hung in a triangular configuration, creating an enclosed space that became the stage for one of the evening's most memorable moments, a performance by Florence Benichou and Jacopo Arrighi that activated Najm's static works with living movement.

The performance began mysteriously, with both dancers positioned behind the artworks, their presence revealed only through glimpses of feet moving in dialogue beneath the canvases. This initial choreographed interaction between male and female performers created an immediate tension between visibility and concealment that echoed Najm's own artistic preoccupations. The genius of this opening lay in how it forced viewers to read the dancers' relationship through minimal visual cues. Only able to see their feet and hands, we had to pay attention to subtle shifts in stance, the rhythm of movement, the spatial dynamics between two bodies we could not yet fully see.

When Florence Benichou finally emerged into the open space for her expressive solo, the effect was electrifying. Her dance seemed to literally embody Najm's concept of figures dissolving and reforming, as she moved between moments of sharp definition and flowing dissolution. What made this performance particularly powerful was its deliberate subversion of traditional gender dynamics in dance. Rather than following the patriarchal convention of male leadership and greater visibility, Jacopo Arrighi remained largely concealed behind the artworks, appearing only in the performance's final moments.

This choreographed reversal of expected gender roles created a profound dialogue with Najm's visual works. The performance demonstrated how the artist's belief that gender should be "questioned, stretched, and unmade" and could be translated into lived, bodily experience. Benichou's commanding presence in the space, combined with Arrighi's purposeful restraint, created what Najm calls "gaps into gestures that echo how bodies today navigate power, desire, and displacement." The performance transformed the installation from a static contemplation into an active demonstration of how contemporary bodies can resist and reimagine traditional frameworks of gender expression.

Tabinda Chinoy: Emotional Landscapes of Equality

Tabinda Chinoy's contribution offers a different but equally compelling perspective on contemporary gender dynamics. Her androgynous figures, rendered with melancholic expressions, serve as poignant commentaries on the evolving roles of men and women in society. Chinoy's Fauvist-influenced approach, with its bold use of color and semi-abstract forms, creates an emotional landscape that speaks to what she sees as society's increasing movement toward gender equality. This new world is one where both genders can, as she puts it, "Live and Let Live."

Chinoy's technical mastery, honed through training at Karachi Arts Council under Ali Imam and later at London's prestigious Slade School of Fine Arts, is evident in her sophisticated use of symbolic elements from nature. Birds and flowers function as metaphors for resilience and hope, while architectural forms suggest harmony and peace. These works don't merely depict the world as it is, but rather paint "the world she feels", as an aspirational vision of gender relations built on mutual respect and understanding.

The melancholic quality of her figures suggests that this transition isn't without its emotional costs. There's a sense of loss embedded in these works. Perhaps they are mourning for traditional gender roles even as they celebrate the possibilities of a more fluid future. This emotional complexity elevates Chinoy's work beyond simple advocacy into the realm of genuine artistic expression.

Jin Ko (Studio Jinistar): Illusion and Transformation

Jin Ko's contribution to the exhibition operates on an entirely different register, using optical illusion and interactive elements to explore themes of perception and identity. His largest shadowbox work demands active participation from viewers. You start by staring at a central nose for ten seconds before the brain adjusts and unlocks an illusion behind the piece's three-dimensional nature. This process of adjustment serves as a perfect metaphor for how we must sometimes recalibrate our perceptions to see identity and gender in new ways.

Ko's background as a South Korean immigrant to New York adds another layer of cultural displacement to the exhibition's themes. His early work functioned as a form of visual diary, helping him express feelings while navigating life in a country where communication barriers often left him isolated. This personal history infuses his current work with themes of movement, transformation, and the search for connection across cultural divides.

The smaller mixed-media piece featuring an androgynous figure holding a mask demonstrates Ko's interest in the performative aspects of identity. The gloved hand suggests both concealment and protection, while the mask itself becomes a symbol of the various roles we perform in society. Ko's expertise in pattern-making and his focus on light illusions create works that are literally transformative. The works change as viewers move around them, suggesting that identity itself is similarly fluid and dependent on perspective.

Anindita Dutta: Archaeology of Experience

Perhaps the most confrontational work in the exhibition comes from Indian-born artist Anindita Dutta, whose sculptural installations transform personal trauma into what she calls "a radical visual language." Dutta's uses discarded objects: shoes, horns, leather goods, weathered clothing, and vintage purses sourced from thrift stores and personal archives. These items create what she describes as "a surrealistic archaeology of lived experience."

These objects, once intimately connected to bodies and lives, become powerful carriers of unspoken histories. Dutta's work operates on the understanding that material objects retain traces of the people who used them, making her sculptures into repositories of collective memory and experience. The inclusion of animal horns and fur adds a primal element to the work, suggesting connections between human and non-human identities that complicate traditional gender binaries.

Dutta's approach serves as a counterpoint to the more abstract explorations of gender found elsewhere in the exhibition. Her work grounds theoretical discussions in the material reality of lived experience, reminding viewers that gender expression often involves real risks and real consequences. The confrontational nature of her installations breaks what she calls "the silence" around personal trauma, transforming individual experiences into collective consciousness.

[Un]framing Gender runs through July 27 at Culture Lab LIC, located at 5-25 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101, providing ample opportunity for viewers to engage with these important conversations. In an art world often criticized for its insularity, [Un]framing Gender stands as an example of how exhibitions can serve broader social and cultural functions while maintaining artistic integrity and sophistication. The show demands to be experienced in person, where the interplay between works, the spatial relationships between cultures, and the possibility of witnessing live performances can be fully appreciated.