Events & Entertainment

Sirius Arts Exhibition: Hina Khan – Red Storm

Published

4 months ago

May 15, 2026

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Hina Khan is a Pakistani Irish artist. Khan’s practice encompasses painting and drawing, ranging from miniatures informed by the traditional visual language of the Indian subcontinent to large-scale scrolls influenced by contemporary Western expressionist movements. Her work is a continuous process of cultural negotiation and re-rooting, reflecting both her heritage and her integration into a different society. Red Storm is the most extensive presentation of her output to date, showcasing a comprehensive selection of new and existing works created since 2014.This exhibition is produced by SIRIUS and curated by Miguel Amado, Director.

LAUNCH EVENT

SIRIUS
Saturday, 16 May
2-4pm
Free; no booking required

Hina Khan in conversation with Miguel Amado

Hina Khan and Miguel Amado discuss the exhibition’s themes and key works, as well as the politics and aesthetics informing Khan’s practice.

Accessibility Note
Our building has accessibility limitations. There are three steps to the front door, but a temporary wheelchair ramp is available upon request. Our facilities are also accessed via stairs.

Hina Khan working in a SIRIUS gallery. Photograph: Megan O’Driscoll

Khan demonstrates a sustained dialogue with history and memory, as well as an emphasis on emotion and spirituality, through symbolism and experimentation rooted in technical proficiency. Part of her production involves monumental, largely abstract renditions of displacement and conflict, inspired by her direct experience – for instance relocation from Pakistan to Ireland and intergenerational trauma provoked by the Partition of India – and her engagement with broader social crises such as ecological disasters and gender violence. Concurrently, the artist creates intricate, figurative depictions of people and nature, picturing mundane and institutional scenes, landscapes, and allegorical visions of wildlife. Both imageries are conveyed through a gestural approach to line, movement, and colour.

Khan comments: “My work speaks of the turmoil of the times we live in – war, climate change, migration, gender and religious violence, and other problems. A ‘red storm’ has engulfed the planet and threatens to usurp humans and other species. The ravages of conflict and the constant darning, mending and repairing weaken life, leaving only a crumbling of civilisation. But I have faith in the power of art to prevail over the differences between culture, religion, language, and ethnicity. My work is a constant search for peace on our only inhabitable planet.”

Hina Khan is based in Kinsale, County Cork, where she settled after immigrating to Ireland in 2015 and living in different locations through Direct Provision. Her solo shows include Ballina Arts Centre, Ballina, Co. Mayo (2025, 2018); LHQ Gallery, Cork City (2022); and Laois Arthouse Gallery, Stradbally, Co. Laois (2020). Her recent group shows include the Lavit Gallery, Cork City (2026) and the Royal Hibernian Academy (2025). Her commissions include The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim (2022-23). She has been awarded residencies with Fire Station Artists’ Studios through Create and Uillinn: West Cork Art Centre. She is a recipient of several awards, including from the Arts Council. Her work is in the collection of the Arts Council and in private collections in Ireland and overseas. She holds an MA in Art and Environment from Technological University Dublin and an MFA in Art from the Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Hina Khan, No Borders, 2022. Coffee wash, gouache, watercolour, Indian ink, and marker on paper; 200 x 450 cm. Photograph: the artist. Courtesy of the artist