The Frist Art Museum presents “Anila Quayyum Agha: Interwoven,” an exhibition spanning two decades of the Pakistani American artist’s multifaceted practice, featuring mesmerizing installations, drawings, and sculptures that address some of the most urgent issues of our time. The exhibition — the final stop on a four-venue tour is — is on view through August 30, 2026.
“Anila Agha is one of the most highly sought-after artists working in the United States today,” says Frist Art Museum Curator-at-Large Trinita Kennedy. “Her immersive installations elicit wonder and a sense of endless possibility.” Presenting 26 works of art drawn from major public and private collections, the exhibition surveys every period of Agha’s career and demonstrates the centrality of textiles to her practice. Born in Lahore in 1965, Agha moved to the United States in 1999 and now resides in Indianapolis. Her experiences as a woman and an immigrant dealing with discrimination, invisibility, and oppression inform her art, as does environmental devastation.
“I do not have a single story,” Agha says. “I have multiple stories that become interwoven to create a tapestry that is colorful, that is varied, that has pattern, that has beauty and light.” Her wide-ranging influences include the California Light and Space movement, Indo-Islamic architecture, Urdu poetry, and traditional crafts such as embroidery.
A centerpiece of this exhibition, “All the Flowers Are for Me (Red)” is a lightbox belonging to the Cincinnati Art Museum, which abounds with references to Pakistani cultural traditions. The exhibition “A Beautiful Despair: Anila Quayyum Agha” is on view concurrently at the Huntsville Museum of Art through August 23. Members of both the Frist Art Museum and the Huntsville Museum of Art will receive reciprocal admission through each museum’s respective exhibition dates.
Frist Friday returns June 26 with an immersive experience celebrating the luminous, dreamlike worlds of “International Surrealism from Tate: Fifty Years of Dreams,” “Anila Quayyum Agha: Interwoven,” “An Indigenous Present,” “Art in the Atrium — Plexus No. 47” by Gabriel Dawe, and “Here with You: Awake and Dreaming.” Inspired by these captivating exhibitions, the museum will transform into an enchanting neon-lit landscape designed to transport you into a vibrant realm of imagination, color, and surreal wonder.
Experience an electric violinist performing on a glowing, 3D-printed Strata Violin; a dazzling LED hula-hoop performer; DJ PARTEE spinning all night in the Grand Lobby; roaming close-up magic from magician Ben Young; thought-provoking discussions on the art of dream interpretation with dream therapist Cara Dorris in the Ingram Gallery; a gallery-wide scavenger hunt with prizes and a chance to win a Frist membership; and an interactive Dream Wall on the Upper Level. Taste and drink zero-proof cocktail bar powered by Curious Elixirs — complimentary canned mocktails; YAYO OMG food truck — authentic gourmet Mexican cuisine; Nash Dogs — 100-percent Angus specialty beef hot dogs and veggie dogs; Kiwi Scoops — New Zealand-style ice cream made with real fruit; and be sure to try their curated cocktail, the Electric Illusion. Café Cheeserie will be open, serving their evening menu as well as specialty pastries. Save now with early bird pricing: by June 14, discounted admission: General Admission: $30 | Frist Members: $15; June 15, ticket prices increase to General Admission: $40 | Frist Members: $25. Reserve your tickets now at: fristartmuseum.org
