Senior Curator

Darwaza (دروازہ, "the door") is a cultural forum based in Hamburg, Germany, dedicated to South Asian art, culture and dialogue. We exist to build a lasting bridge between the artistic communities of Pakistan and cultural audiences in Europe — a space where South Asian artistic voices are presented with depth, context and dignity, and where genuine exchange between two worlds can take place.

Our work brings contemporary South Asian art into established European cultural institutions, paired with moderated dialogue that situates the work within its cultural, historical and human context. We are not a commercial gallery and not a passive intermediary: Darwaza is a curatorial bridge that translates — artistically and culturally — between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and the European stage.

As Darwaza grows, we are looking for a Senior Curator based in Islamabad to serve as our artistic anchor in Pakistan: the person who can carry the heart, mission and vision of Darwaza into living exhibitions. This is a role for someone who understands that an exhibition is not a display of objects, but an argument, a conversation and an act of cultural translation.

As Senior Curator, you are the artistic intelligence behind every Darwaza presentation. You identify the artistic positions worth bringing to Europe, you shape them into a coherent curatorial narrative, and you ensure that each exhibition embodies what Darwaza stands for: rigour, sensitivity, and a refusal of cliché.

You will work closely with the founders and with our European institutional partners, while maintaining and deepening Darwaza's relationships within the Pakistani art world.

Responsibilities

• Curatorial concept & narrative. Develop the intellectual and artistic framework for each exhibition — the central thesis, the selection of artists and works, and the curatorial argument that holds them together.
• Artist identification & selection. Discover, evaluate and select contemporary artistic positions from across Pakistan, balancing established names with emerging voices, and ensuring relevance to both the work itself and the European context it will enter.
• Artist & studio relationships. Build and maintain trusted relationships with artists, studios, collectives and institutions across Pakistan; negotiate participation, loans and commissions.
• Exhibition development. Translate the concept into a concrete exhibition: checklist of works, spatial and sequencing logic, interpretive strategy, and the design of accompanying dialogue formats.
• Curatorial texts. Write exhibition texts, wall labels, catalogue essays and interpretive material to a publishable, professional standard, in English (additional languages welcome).
• Coordination across borders. Liaise with Darwaza's European partners on feasibility, framing and presentation; advise on what is artistically and logistically realistic.
• Loans, provenance & documentation. Oversee condition documentation, provenance clarity, and the curatorial paperwork required for international loans and exhibition.
• Dialogue & programming. Conceive and help moderate the talks, panels and conversations that accompany each exhibition — the "dialogue" at the heart of Darwaza.
• Representation. Represent Darwaza with credibility and discretion within the Pakistani cultural sector, and help position the forum as a serious, respected partner.

Who We Are Looking For

This is a senior role, and we are looking for a curator of genuine standing and experience. We expect a strong field of applicants and will be selective. Candidates who do not yet have a substantial, independent curatorial track record are unlikely to be a fit for this particular position.

Essential qualifications

• A Master's degree in Curatorial Studies, Art History, Fine Art, Museum Studies or a closely related field. A higher degree is an advantage.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional curatorial experience, with a portfolio of independently conceived and delivered exhibitions.
• A demonstrable track record of curating exhibitions for museums, biennales, major galleries or institutional settings — not solely commercial gallery shows.
• Deep, current knowledge of the contemporary Pakistani and wider South Asian art scene: the artists, the discourses, the institutions and the histories.
• Excellent written English and the ability to produce curatorial and catalogue texts to a publishable standard.
• Proven ability to work independently and lead, while collaborating across cultures, time zones and institutions.
• Strong existing relationships within the Pakistani art world and the credibility to deepen them on Darwaza's behalf.

Highly desirable

• Experience with international exhibitions or cross-border cultural projects, ideally involving European institutions.
• Familiarity with the logistics of international loans — provenance, condition reporting, customs and insurance considerations.
• Fluency in Urdu (and ideally one or more regional languages) alongside English.
• An existing network among European or diaspora cultural institutions.
• Experience conceiving and moderating public dialogue — talks, panels, artist conversations.

What we value

• A curator who treats an exhibition as an act of cultural translation, not decoration.
• Intellectual rigour paired with genuine sensitivity to the artists and the work.
• The judgement to know what belongs in front of a European audience — and the integrity to resist the clichéd or the merely decorative.
• Discretion, reliability and the ability to represent Darwaza with quiet authority.

Please submit your CV, a portfolio of curated exhibitions (with your specific role clearly stated), and a short letter of motivation explaining how you would carry Darwaza's mission into a living exhibition.

We review applications on a rolling basis and will contact shortlisted candidates for an initial conversation.

Darwaza is an equal-opportunity forum. We welcome applications from curators of all backgrounds.