In the current global climate, debilitating forms of conflict and violence—stoked by cultural differences, economic disparities, regional tensions, and scarcity of resources—continue to impact communities around the world. Amidst these entrenched divisions, it can be challenging to maintain a sense of hope for the future. Bushra Yousaf’s intimate series of portrait paintings evoke optimism and encourage self-reflection by reminding us of our common humanity. Aptly entitled Humanity, Yousaf’s large-scale portraitures feature close-up views of individuals from different ages and backgrounds, each of whom exude their own unique personalities and appearances. As the person in each portrait gazes outward from the canvas, it creates the impression that they are looking directly at the viewers, thereby encouraging a sense of personal connection and engagement.
Notably, these individuals do not have any specific identifying markers in their appearance that may connect them with a specific community, geographical location, or cultural group. For example, Harmony of Hope: A Glimpse into Innocence depicts a young woman with red hair and a face that is coloured light blue, with a vivid, yellow streak of paint running across it. Similarly, in Radiant Resilience: Illuminating the Human Spirit, the woman’s presence is accentuated by the multitude of background colours that sweep across her face and the background behind her.
Displaying these portraits within City Hall imbues them with an additional resonance. Besides being a civic institution and public space, City Hall also signifies as a public space in which everyone is heard and represented and functions as a symbolic focal point for communal life. This is apt in relation to this exhibit, which also calls for unity around a shared sense of humanity. Yousaf’s series nurtures a genuine curiosity among viewers and invites them to consider the portrait subjects as unique, valued individuals in their own right whose presence deserves recognition. Various questions may come to mind: Who are they? What are their stories and experiences? What shapes them as people? They encourage viewers to engage with people in their own lives that originate from a place of respect, absent of assumptions and preconceptions, within which one not only speaks but also listens.