Artudio is set to present ‘Connection, Memory & Borders’, an upcoming exhibition by artists Rubab Batool and Konain Niaz, opening on August 1 at its gallery in Swayambhu, Kathmandu. The exhibit will run until August 5 and marks the culmination of their participation in the July 2025 edition of the Artudio International Artists Residency (AIAR).

Rubab and Konain, originally from Pakistan and based in Moscow and Rochester, respectively, have spent the past month in Kathmandu developing works that reflect on themes of cultural identity, migration, and personal memory. Drawing from digital media, speculative fiction, and mapping, their interdisciplinary practice weaves emotional and spatial narratives rooted in diasporic experience.

Rubab, a researcher and artist pursuing her master’s in Critical Media Studies in Moscow, and Konain, an educator and data scientist exploring language and migration through information science, are collaborating on a project that blends contemporary art with digital curation.

The Artudio International Artists Residency programme, AIAR, invites national and international artists to engage in research, collaboration, and cultural dialogue with the local community.

Kailash K Shrestha, founder of Artudio, shared his thoughts on the upcoming exhibition, “Two international artists are coming together to collaborate through this residency programme. What makes this residency unique is its use of interdisciplinary mediums—particularly digital ones—to explore and express complex ideas.”

This exhibit presents perspectives shaped by global socio-political contexts, with the artists employing various media tools to express themselves.

Connection, Memory & Borders

Where: Artudio, Chhauni Hospital Road, Swayambhu
When: August 1 to August 5
Time: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm (Every day)
Entry: Free