As one approaches Glyndor Gallery, they are met by a series of petaled heads, emerging from a mound of gravel representing an unforgiving and arid landscape. These faces are colorful, yet expressionless. Some of them weep, open-eyed, tears rolling down their round cheeks. Others squint, stare inquisitively, or hide behind their foliage. These flowering beings are Noormah Jamal ’s Blooms. Made from glazed ceramics in varied colors, sizes, and textures, Jamal’s installation draws connections between the people of a city and its landscape. Here, the Blooms become a metaphor for the resilience of a people in times of war, climate disaster, colonialism, and poverty.

Jamal, who was born and raised in Peshawar, Pakistan, draws from her Pakhtun culture throughout her work, exploring themes of home, memory, community, and girlhood. From her playful, childlike perspective surfaces a dialogue between past and present, as well as an exploration of the ways one’s selfhood and personal history intersect with collective memory. Being the closest major city in Pakistan to Afghanistan, Peshawar and its inhabitants have also witnessed and been subjected to overwhelming violent conflict, political unrest, and oppression, particularly as a result of the "war on terror" that began in 2001. Throughout Jamal’s work, her lived experience during this period in Peshawar—along with the insight and knowledge gained thereof—converges with nostalgia and fantasy to address complicated socio-political issues with both nuance and hope.

In Blooms, Jamal pays careful and tender tribute to her home and its people, taking inspiration for the installation from Peshawar’s epithet as the “City of Flowers.” Despite its nickname, Peshawar today is a notably dry mountainous region without much greenery. Jamal responds to the supposed irony of the city’s designation, finding meaning in the contradiction: Peshawar’s flowers are its people. Just as Jamal's Blooms grow from a harsh and rocky terrain, the people of Peshawar sprout, persevere, and "bloom" through various traumas, hardships, political turbulence, and inequalities that plague the region. Each sculptural head is distinct, with carved surfaces and textures embedded in the clay to evoke landscape—their differences tell a story of individual identity shaped by inherited narratives, lived experiences, and the ongoing negotiation between belonging and movement. Referencing the human face as a site of recognition and memory, Blooms invites viewers to consider those who remain and must continue to inhabit a place after upheaval.

About the artist

Noormah Jamal is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist. Her work centers around identity and the personal baggage that people carry. Her image making and sculptures are deeply rooted in the oral histories of her community and family. She has exhibited internationally at Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Los Angeles; Twelve Gates Arts, Philadelphia; Rietberg Museum, Zurich; and Canvas Gallery, Karachi. Her work has been featured in various publications and media including Hyperallergic , the Herald , Artsy , Impulse Magazine , the Karachi Collective and the New American paintings . Currently she is a member of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts studio program. Jamal graduated from the National College of Arts, Lahore. She earned an MFA from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. Learn more about the artist at www.noormahjamal.com.