Regal Chowk

Lala Rukh Pakistani
1993
Not on view
During a time of severe Islamization under the military dictatorship of General Zia Ul Haq in 1980s Pakistan, which fostered an increasingly oppressive environment for women, Lala Rukh involved herself with the women’s movement, co-founding the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) and commencing a life-long commitment to political activism. Rukh was proactively involved in the Forum’s activities when local printers controlled by the government in Lahore refused to print their protest materials and newsletters. Rukh began screen printing, designing and producing many of the WAF’s provocative posters that called for the equal rights and freedom of women. Regal Chowk hails from this group of materials. It is a flyer in black and white. The text on the poster is in Urdu and announces a Jalsa event on February 10th and a demonstration on February 12th, 1993 in Lahore. It reproduces images of women being publically flogged and beaten by police. The title of the flyer refers to a popular public space in Lahore.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Regal Chowk
  • Artist: Lala Rukh (Pakistani, Lahore 1948–2017 Lahore)
  • Date: 1993
  • Medium: Lithograph
  • Dimensions: 13 3/8 × 8 3/16 in. (34 × 20.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of Lala Rukh, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.403.5
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.