A Storyteller Through Visuals, Navigating the Realms of Style, Sustainability, and Social Justice.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Adil Iqbal studied Textile Design at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh before working in the industry all over Europe, including France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. Adil’s designs have been showcased at celebrated fashion weeks in London and New York and worked with high profile labels, including Hugo Boss, TataNaka and Popinjay. Building on his interdisciplinary background he successfully completed a Master’s degree in Anthropology, Art and Perception in 2016 from the University of St Andrews.
Adil uses methods, such as collaborative practice, narrative art and digital media to discover new ways of creating a bridge between western and indigenous craft culture. He was awarded the prestigious Dewar Art Award for a cross- cultural arts project ‘Twilling Tweeds’ connecting traditional Scottish and Chitrali cultures through weaving, and hand embroidery. He conducted a series of art workshops with the local communities exploring cultural similarities between Scotland and Pakistan. Narrative discussions, life drawings and digital art mediums were used to develop storyboards and final artworks.
Since then several exhibitions have been curated internationally, including at the Royal Scottish Academy, Patrick Geddes Centre at Riddle’s Court, The Nomad Tent in Edinburgh, The Nomad Arts Gallery (Islamabad), An Lanntair (Stornoway) and Shekih Abdullah Al Salem Culture Centre (Kuwait).
He has been working with craft communities in Chitral valley (Northern Pakistan) for over ten years and his works spans from cultural heritage; sustainable craft and design practices; community and business development. He founded a cross-cultural collective Mahraka - ‘The Gathering’ - uniting community, artists, and academics. As a portal of interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging multimedia technology and the richness of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The combination of professional experience in textile design and craft-making along with his cultural and linguistic knowledge complements Adil’s training in anthropology. His Scottish Pakistani identity places him in a unique position to develop cross-cultural dialogues between different communities. Adil’s deep passion is facilitating artists and the wider communities to break down cultural barriers that separate each other. His work celebrates the common threads that connects our traditions. He currently lives between Edinburgh and Chitral and continues to work as an independent practitioner and facilitator.
