Veiling, Visibility, and Visual Controversy: The Shuttlecock Burqa in Global and Pakistani Contemporary Art

This study investigates the Shuttlecock Burqa as acontested visual symbol in Pakistani contemporaryart within broader global debates on representation,gender, and cultural identity. Rather than treating theBurqa solely as a religious garment, the researchexamines it as a historically layered cultural formshaped by social hierarchy, colonial discourse, andmodern media narratives. Drawing upon feministtheory, postcolonial criticism, and visual culturestudies, the paper situates Pakistani artistic practicesalongside Western traditions of controversialimagery, demonstrating that disputes overrepresentation are not culturally unique butstructurally comparable. Through close visual analysis of works by majorPakistani contemporary artists, the study shows howthe Burqa operates as a metaphor for visibility,absence, protection, and control. The artworks revealshifting meanings that challenge both internalpatriarchal structures and external Orientaliststereotypes. A survey of Pakistani art students andpractitioners further supports this argument,indicating that public perception of the Burqaremains diverse and context-dependent, shaped moreby framing and discourse than by the garment itself. The research concludes that controversy surrounding the Shuttlecock Burqa emerges not from the object but from competing interpretive systems operating across local and global contexts. By transforming the garment into a critical visual language, Pakistani artists expand conversations about identity, agency, and representation in contemporary art.