Disruption as Rapture is an animation—an atmospheric experience—created by the Pakistani American artist Shahzia Sikander. It’s inspired by the museum’s Gulshan-i Ishq (Rose Garden of Love, an exceptional intact eighteenth-century manuscript with ninety-six illustrations. (See one example here.) Intrigued by the intricacy of the illustrations, which unfold a Hindu love story recast as a Sufi tale, the artist explores its universal message—one that positions love as a metaphor for the soul’s search for, and connection with, the divine.

Sikander’s inventive and original work often uses South Asian and Persian manuscript painting as a point of departure. By experimenting with size and scale, Sikander reworks these forms into a wide range of media, producing thoughtful statements that question traditional gender roles, cultural norms, and the volatile political histories of the region.