The Rivers Remember: Art, Memory and the Life of Rivers

An editorial conversation

Beyond the floodwaters

A river carries far more than water. It carries the histories of settlements, the rhythms of daily life, the stories of communities, and the traces of what has been lost. In The Rivers Remember, Pakistan Art Forum turns this living relationship into the subject of an exhibition that brings together 75 artists, public institutions and humanitarian organisations.

In conversation with Cosmopolitan Art Magazine Pakistan, Pakistan Art Forum founder and CEO Imtisal Zafar traces the project to a discussion in 2025 with US Consul General Stetson Sanders. They wanted to create an exhibition that would draw attention to an urgent issue in Pakistan. The country's recurring floods offered a point of departure, but the eventual curatorial direction was deliberately more expansive: to celebrate the sustaining force of rivers as much as to acknowledge the devastation associated with them.

Why rivers remember

Zafar describes the theme as a celebration of the life that rivers have nurtured across centuries. The title reflects waterways as witnesses to the rise and decline of cultures and civilisations, preserving in their landscapes stories of growth, folklore, progress and destruction.

“The rivers, remember the stories, the folklore, the progress, the destruction.” — Imtisal Zafar, interview excerpt

Instead of limiting the exhibition to images of disaster, the organisers sought an affirmative visual dialogue around the sustenance that rivers provide. The participating artists were selected through an open call shared on Pakistan Art Forum's social media platforms, with attention to diverse artistic mediums and approaches. Their different visual languages offer visitors varied interpretations of the same broad theme.

Art meets public awareness

The exhibition was developed with involvement from the Government of Punjab and Alhamra Arts Council, which provided the Museum of Modern Art as the venue. Zafar explains that the team approached the Ministry of Information & Culture because the project addressed an issue of national significance.

Humanitarian organisations UNICEF, WWF and LPP contributed data, first-hand accounts and statistics drawn from work in flood-affected areas. Their participation connected artistic expressions with the lived circumstances behind the exhibition's environmental concerns.

A panel discussion broadened that conversation beyond the gallery walls. Topics included disaster management, emergency preparedness and the responsibilities of academic and government institutions in responding to future floods. The intention, says Zafar, was not simply to present a beautiful exhibition, but to help visitors leave better informed and more prepared to engage with the issue.

Eight months, 75 artists

The exhibition took eight months to organise. Coordinating artists, public bodies and humanitarian organisations, while developing the panel discussion, demanded extensive collaboration. For Zafar, the most rewarding moment was seeing the many parts come together.

The project also points toward a wider ambition for Pakistan Art Forum. Zafar hopes to continue using the platform to illuminate important issues across Pakistan, bringing complex conversations into public view through the accessible and expressive language of art.

The question at the heart of The Rivers Remember remains open: how can a cultural encounter become a meaningful conversation about collective responsibility? By placing artistic interpretation alongside accounts from relief organisations, the exhibition offers one answer — through remembering, learning and listening together.

Editorial feature by Cosmopolitan Art Magazine Pakistan. Based on written interview responses supplied by Imtisal Zafar, founder and CEO of Pakistan Art Forum. Exhibition photographs provided by Pakistan Art Forum; descriptions reflect supplied file labels. Independent editorial coverage.

In conversation · 10 questions

The Rivers, in his own words

From an early conversation with the US Consul General to eight months of collaboration across art, public institutions and humanitarian work, Pakistan Art Forum founder and CEO Imtisal Zafar reflects on the making of The Rivers Remember. His complete written interview follows.

The answers below are reproduced verbatim from Imtisal Zafar’s written responses, without editorial corrections.

Imtisal, how did The Rivers Remember begin, and what made this the right time to bring it to life?

Last year, in 2025, US Consul General, Stetson Sanders and I were discussing doing an art exhibition together. I suggested the idea of using our project to highlight an issue that is plaguing Pakistan and what better plight to choose than the annual flood catastrophe that Pakistan faces. Since then we started working on the logistics, which organizations to involve, venue etc. Over time the project took its own life and we ended up putting together well curated exhibition with the theme ‘Sustenance of Life through Rivers’

Why did you choose the title The Rivers Remember, and how did it shape the direction of the exhibition?

The main idea behind choosing the theme of the show was celebrating the life that these rivers have birthed over centuries in this region. We wanted the show to have a positive vibe rather than a morbid theme destruction. The title alludes to the rivers of Pakistan being a source of endless sustenance, having seen the rise and fall of civilisations and cultures across its banks – therefore, the rivers, remember the stories, the folklore, the progress, the destruction of countless communities of humans that have flourished around them

How were the 75 artists selected, and what stood out to you in their interpretations of the theme?

We had an open call via Pakistan Art Forum social media through which artists were selected for the show. The main idea was to choose a diverse roster of artists with varying mediums that highlight the theme of the show.

What would you like audiences to notice about the artworks when they walk through the exhibition?

The interpretation of a common theme in each artist’s own visual language is something that viewers would really enjoy browsing through

How did the collaboration with the Government of Punjab and Alhamra Arts Council come together?

We approached Ministry of Information & Culture with the intent of having government involvement because it was something that was highlighting an issue of the country, so facilitation by government was of utmost importance. Alhamra Art Council provided the prestigious Museum of Modern Art as the venue for the event.

What role did UNICEF, WWF and LPP play in connecting the exhibition’s artistic message with flood awareness?

The idea behind getting humanitarian organizations involved was that we wanted this show to be informative with real life statistics and data. The organizations brought in real life data, statistics and stories from their relief work in affected areas that was very informative to the audience

Why was it important to include a panel discussion alongside the artworks, and which conversations stood out?

The objective of the panel discussion was to spark a meaningful conversation around disaster management, emergency preparedness and the role of academic and govt institutes in future flood episodes. We wanted the people attending to take back something from the show and also be involved in a conversation about what can they do to help

For the team, what went into bringing an exhibition of this scale together, and what was the most rewarding part?

It was 8 months of hard work that went into bringing this show to life. Liaising on with various organizations – government and humanitarian – coordinating with all the 75 artists, planning an directing the panel discussion and selecting the right panel for the talk. Seeing all of this come together seamlessly was the most rewarding part.

Imtisal, how does this exhibition reflect the direction you want Pakistan Art Forum to take?

This exhibition is the first of many projects we want to do in future that uses our platform to highlight various issues across Pakistan. Art can be a powerful medium of expression that can shed light in an informal way on important issues. And I intend to use my platform for towards this obejective in future

What do you hope visitors carry with them after experiencing The Rivers Remember, and are there plans to take the project further?

We hope that visitors visiting this show have learned something meaningful in addition to viewing a beautifully curated exhibition. The opportunity to engage with organizations such as UNICEF, WWF & LPP in person is rare, so we hope that it was educational and made a mark,

Interview responses courtesy of Imtisal Zafar and Pakistan Art Forum. Questions by Cosmopolitan Art Magazine Pakistan.

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