Dil Dariya by Mughees Riaz

Mughees Riaz is a well-established name in the field of art. This exhibition holds great significance, as for the first time, viewers will be able to delve into his roots, his inspirations, and the evolving thought that underpins his work. As a mid-career artist, Mughees brings together the many threads that have shaped his artistic journey. This show is a synthesis of his heritage and his artistic philosophy, brought together in a visual language uniquely his own.

Mughees Riaz comes from a family deeply entrenched in art and creative expression. His artistic journey is a continuation of a dialogue that began decades ago. His maternal great-uncle, famously known as Azad, was celebrated for his skillfully hand-painted film posters that once adorned cinema fronts across Pakistan in its early years. Azad also earned a reputation as a brilliant portrait artist, painting notable political figures such as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah—works that were often displayed at public events.

Another distinguished artist in Mughees’s extended family is Mohammad Latif, who studied at what was then the Mayo School of Arts. Latif specialized in design, pursued further training in New York, and, upon his return, played a foundational role in Pakistan’s visual culture. As the first designer of the nation’s postage stamps and Director of Advertising for the Government of Pakistan, his impact was far-reaching.

Mughees’s own father, Mehmud Khalid Riaz, an NCA graduate trained in London, later headed the printing and photography department at his alma mater.

This legacy of artistic mastery was further enriched by spiritual depth. One of Mughees’s ancestors, who migrated from the province of Abadan in Iran, was an Imam and a prolific writer. Among the family’s treasured possessions is a Hilya—an elaborate handwritten manuscript offering a vivid portrait of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), conveying his qualities through poetic and descriptive language.

Such childhood exposure to the arts has left an indelible impression on Mughees’s worldview—an influence clearly visible in his sensitive paintings.

From a young age, Mughees showed a strong inclination toward drawing. He studied at Baghbanpura Public School, run by members of the Parsi community. His natural talent was quickly recognized. Teachers often relied on him to illustrate fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges on the blackboard for the class. His skill earned him numerous certificates, and he fondly recalls sketching even on exam papers—much to the chagrin of his examiners.

He later pursued his FA at Baghbanpura College, followed by a BFA and MFA from Punjab University. During his MFA final exams, he experienced what he describes as a spiritual encounter. While painting outdoors, a mysterious figure appeared, introducing himself as Allah Bakhsh—a name reminiscent of the legendary painter. The figure encouraged him, saying, “Continue with what you’re doing—this is your path.” Mughees carries those words with him even now, as a sacred affirmation of his purpose as an artist.

Mughees’s work is deeply rooted in the land, capturing the soul of everyday life in Pakistan. His landscapes are inhabited by buffaloes, crows, cats, and dogs—creatures often overlooked by society, yet granted dignity and beauty in his compositions. His human figures are not idealized: girls in burqas, boys with beards—ordinary people rendered with extraordinary compassion. He paints with sincerity, seeking purity and quiet strength in his subjects.

For him, art must reflect one’s environment. “If you live in Pakistan,” he says, “your art should speak about your own social and cultural setup. It should have authenticity.”

He challenges the dichotomy between abstraction and realism, seeing both as expressions of the same reality. “In nature,” he explains, “there is both abstraction and realism—these are just names given to the same reality. They are not opposites; their essence remains the same.”

This belief is evident in his landscapes, where light and color merge, where form and feeling are inseparable, where realism flows into abstraction.

One recurring motif in his work is the sun. He has painted it countless times, yet it never loses its power. “The sun rises every day,” he says, “but each day is different. Our existence is not monotonous, so how can the sun ever be boring?”

For Mughees, each sunrise is a reminder of renewal, continuity, and the infinite.

He believes art is a journey without a fixed conclusion—an ongoing process of becoming.

“You build upon it layer by layer. There is no end, and no beginning—it is all infinity.”

–Curatorial Note by Prof. Dr. Rahat Naveed Masud & Amna Pataudi