On the Nov. 16, 2023, the Rose Art Museum held the grand opening of its new exhibition, “No Ordinary Love,” a curation of works by Salman Toor. This exhibition represents a wave of exhibitions for the Rose as a continuation of an established theme for their exhibitions and collections. The Rose is seeking to uplift and raise the voices and works of intersectional artists, using both new and prior collections to challenge our perspectives on old concepts and preconceptions. Salman Toor, a queer Pakistani artist, exemplifies this intersectionality in his work by painting beautiful panels of maturing as a queer boy in Pakistani culture. Toor’s work can be seen in this exhibition, a living space organized by Dr. Gannit Ankori, the director and chief curator of the Rose Art Museum. The entire exhibit was curated by Asama Naeem, and Dorothy Wagner Wallis, Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Toor and Dr. Ankori both created a modern exhibition that recognizes the voices of queer people, Pakistanis, and queer Pakistanis. Throughout the exhibit, Toor’s voice is seen on the walls. The writing on the wall emphasizes the difficulties of sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, and cultural establishments. Those larger themes can be traced throughout his work, the exhibition guides you through each. Toor asks you to consider the feminine and the masculine the mother and the child; society and nature. His work forces the viewer into a voyeuristic perspective; you are an observer to the maturation of a man in conflict with his identities and his environment. Some examples of his art are shown to express these themes.

“Back Lawn” and “Construction Men” are two pieces in the exhibition that can explain the place of society and cultural establishments in contrast to the identity that Toor experiences. In these two paintings, Toor highlights a separation between queer identity and society. The first, “Back Lawn,” recalls Mughal Garden paintings, a historical reference to a “lover’s garden,” with two young men in the back lawn of a house separated from the dinner party. This separation and boundary between nature, the lawn or garden motif and the house, the construct, and the society show the ideas of society and nature that Toor explores. Is the homosexual relationship natural and only separated from society by its constructs? Similarly, the idea of “Construction Men” being builders of society is present in the foreground which is dominated by somewhat sexual male figures drilling a hole into the ground while two masculine figures in the top left of the composition hold hands. While the former painting showcases the idea of construction through a traditionally masculine lens while the gay couple is in the background. “Boy with Neck Chain” and “Mommy,” two works that are coupled together in the exhibition, show the maturity of a young feminine boy. The two play with the concept of gender. “Mommy” shows a woman putting her makeup on in a mirror while her son can be seen watching in the reflection of a compact mirror. This boy is the same as in “Boy with Neck Chain,” who is seen mirroring his mother’s actions nude in his own mirror, reflecting the gender expression he has witnessed. This exhibit’s themes can be seen further in the other artworks and series shown at the Rose currently. Look out for an article fully detailing the nature of the exhibit in our Dec. 4 issue of the Justice.