Natalie A. Baker inaugurates PNCA’s landmark exhibition “In Trinity Together: A Retrospective of Raja Changez Sultan
Islamabad – 19 September 2025 (Adnan Hameed) : In a milestone moment for Pakistan’s cultural landscape, the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) hosted the grand opening of “In Trinity Together: A Retrospective of Raja Changez Sultan” on Wednesday evening.
The exhibition celebrates the remarkable six-decade journey of Raja Changez Sultan—a renowned painter and poet whose work has left a lasting mark on the country’s art scene.
Curated by Noor Fatima, the retrospective brings together an extraordinary collection of Sultan’s art and poetry, offering visitors a rare chance to experience the depth of his creative legacy. The event drew a vibrant gathering of diplomats, writers, fellow artists, and cultural figures who came together for an evening of dialogue, appreciation, and celebration.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Ms. Natalie A. Baker, Charge d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, alongside Asad Rehman Gilani, Secretary, National Heritage and Culture Division, and attended by a distinguished gathering including Stetson Sanders, U.S. Consul General Lahore, Farah Naz Akbar, Parliamentary Secretary NH&CD, and M. Ayoub Jamali, Director General PNCA.
Curated with support from Exhibition Manager Sarah Rajper, the retrospective features over 100 works drawn from seven of Sultan’s seminal series — The Himalayan Odyssey, The Three Graces, A Thousand Faces of Eve, The Wood Nymphs, Birds of Paradise, Divided Self, and a previously unseen collection Crucifixion of Eve. Together, they offer a profound journey through landscapes, myths, archetypes, and human portraits, blurring the boundaries between painting and poetry.
Gilani hailed Sultan’s oeuvre as “profound meditations on life” and a vital contribution to Pakistan’s cultural legacy, while Sultan himself described the exhibition as both a culmination and a continuation of his journey, reflecting “the awe of the mountains and the grace of human relationships.”
Addressing to the gathering, Natalie Baker praised the retrospective as a testament to the power of art in fostering dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. Baker noted that Sultan’s works have long enriched cultural spaces at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, symbolizing shared appreciation between the two nations.
The exhibition will be complemented by a special day of programming on September 25, featuring an artist talk, poetry reading, and live painting demonstration, before closing on October 01 across Gallery 1, Gallery 2, and the Grand Hall of PNCA.
