Skin of Dreams exhibition

Hosted at the Cultural Foundation, Skin of Dreams is a landmark solo exhibition curated by Jessica Cerasi. The retrospective highlights Shezad Dawood's diverse artistic practice over more than 15 years, blending South Asian traditions with contemporary global themes. The title refers to the cinema screen, representing the boundary between reality and imagination, and invites visitors into a universe shaped by history, literature, and technology.

The exhibition features a significant focus on Dawood's painting practice, specifically his use of vintage ralli textiles from Pakistan as surfaces for his work. These hand-stitched quilts serve as a foundation for exploring memory and lineage. Other major displays include immersive installations like Night in the Garden of Love, which combines algorithmically generated plants with a soundtrack and scents blending natural and AI-developed fragrances.

A central highlight of the event is the world premiere of the final two episodes of the Leviathan Cycle, a ten-part film series. These episodes look decades into the future to imagine how climate change and scientific progress might transform life on Earth. The exhibition also pays tribute to modernist buildings in the Global South through various architectural explorations in ceramics and paintings.