Shafina Jaffer to unveil Whispers Under Wings at Mall Galleries, London

Highlights:

• Artist Shafina Jaffer presents a new chapter of her Global Conference of the Birds series.
  
• The exhibition runs from 7–12 October 2025 at Mall Galleries, London.
  
• Works are painted on bark cloth from Lake Victoria, combining spiritual themes with ecological concerns.
  

Exhibition details

Artist Shafina Jaffer will open her latest exhibition, Whispers Under Wings (Global Conference of the Birds), at the Mall Galleries in London on 7 October 2025. The show will run until 12 October 2025.

This practice-led series reinterprets Farid ud-Din Attar’s 12th-century Sufi allegory, Conference of the Birds, reflecting on themes of unity, self-realisation and the idea that the Divine resides within.

Material and meaning

Each work is painted on sustainably sourced bark cloth from the Lake Victoria region, using natural pigments, minerals and dyes. Large panels are formed from the bark of single trees, aligning material ecology with the spiritual narrative.

The series weaves together sacred geometry, Qur’anic verses and depictions of endangered bird species, underscoring the connection between ecological fragility and spiritual awakening.

Previous recognition

Whispers Under Wings follows earlier presentations in London and Dubai, extending the project’s message of peace, unity and environmental care.

A central work from the series — the Simurgh, conceived as a symbol of light (Noor) — was recently acquired by Prince Amyn Aga Khan for the new Ismaili Centre in Houston. A feature on the exhibition also appears in the September edition of Twiga, Air Tanzania’s inflight magazine.