Artist Qadir Jhatial shares how rivers connect us

“From the riverbanks of Sindh to a gallery by the Thames… it fills me with joy to see the River Indus’ story travel so far to find a voice in the UK. 

My film chapter called River Allegories was the third chapter in the film trilogy The River Sublime that opened at the Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival. I also displayed a large composite drawing in twenty parts made with delicate graphite called Broken Boat.

Despite its delicacy, the boat is heavy with memory. It speaks of the River Indus, of boats perishing on the banks, their wooden ribs breaking under the weight of time and neglect. To me, the broken boat is a witness – a vessel of stories about water, people, and the fragile bond between humanity and nature strained by our own actions. 

When the Riverside Gallery, showing our artwork, opened to the public for the Richmond Arts & Ideas Festival, I was nervous at first. Would a river flowing through Sindh resonate with people by the Thames? Would they feel the grief of a vanishing delta, or the silence of boats abandoned on dry beds? What did it mean for a boat drawn on the banks of the Indus to speak in a foreign land? 

But then something beautiful happened. Visitors came up to me and said: ‘Your river feels like our river.’  

‘There’s a sense of loss here…but also so much resilience.’ 

One visitor said: ‘This isn’t just a boat. It feels like it carries all our rivers, all our histories.’ 

I was deeply moved by these words. I realized that rivers don’t belong to just one place; they carry stories, emotions, and sorrows that flow across borders. I realized that even a fragile pencil line can hold the weight of centuries. And even a broken boat can cross oceans. 

This experience and these moments along the Thames are unforgettable. I can’t wait to see where the river flows next.” 

– Qadir Jhatial 

Qadir’s Broken Boat drawing and the River Sublime film trilogy are currently on view at Orleans House Gallery until 21 September 2025 in the exhibition Imagining the Forest.  

Imagining the Forest is supported by the British Council and is a partnership between Richmond Arts Service, the Karachi Biennale and Guarani Mbya community of São Paulo.