A successful exhibition is one that leaves you thinking after you walk out the doors. One that starts thought provoking conversations and sparks a change in your mindset or in your actions. Although I was previously aware of the many factors that affect climate change, “Pattern” left me with the desire to further educate myself on the matter.

“Pattern” is Navjot Altaf’s first solo exhibition in the Arabian Peninsula. The exhibition, located at Ishara Art Foundation in Alserkal Avenue, foregrounds her commitment to issues of climate-change, ecology and feminism and the challenges they face in the digital age. 

Navjot Altaf has spent most of her life advocating for change. Her practice stands at the intersection of art and activism. With a career spanning over five decades, she is among the leading voices of her generation to regard art as a medium of social change. I got a glimpse into her world when I ventured upstairs to the reading room which exhibits materials from the 70s and 80s that Navjot used to read, in addition to a selection of vintage posters from protests the artist participated in.  

The first topic Navjot brings forth in the exhibition is climate change. We all hear the term ‘climate change’ and understand that it is a pressing matter, however the only way we can truly comprehend the magnitude of the problem is through visual representation based on data. Navjot incorporates infographics in her artwork to emphasize the matter at hand.

The exhibition strategically uses the term ‘ecology’ as many people think that it is interchangeable with the term ‘nature’. However, through the emphasis on ‘ecology’ as one of the three segments that form the concepts of the exhibition, Navjot is consciously changing our mindset and in turn the language we use when speaking about the greater issue.

The third piece of the pie, and one that I spoke to Navjot about in depth is ‘feminism’. For many visitors, including myself, they may wonder why ‘feminism’ is highlighted in an exhibition about the environment. Navjot mentioned “when you truly look into the definition of feminism, at its core it represents equality”. Therefore, when you reflect on the term in relation to “Pattern”, the artist is focusing on treating every species equally, which will ultimately take care of our eco-system.