The Flame Calls the Moth: Music, Poetry, and Qawwali

An afternoon of Sufi music and poetry with guest maestro Dhruv Sangari, in response to Sobia Ahmad's solo exhibition Entangled Light. Join us at Hamiltonian Artists for an afternoon of Sufi music and poetry with guest maestro Dhruv Sangari, who will take visitors on a sonic journey through Sobia Ahmad's solo exhibition Entangled Light. Through his poetry and music‚ Sangari will explore the spiritual dimensions of a key traditional Sufi metaphor most alive today in the South Asian tradition of Qawwali, the moth and flame. In iconic Qawwalis like those of NFAK, lines like "Shama shehar parwaano ko bulati hai" (The flame calls out to the moths of the city) are sung repeatedly to induce a state of spiritual ecstasy (wajd), prompting listeners to metaphorically "burn" their egos away in the gathering. This program will be interlaced with musical performance and poetry recitation by Bulleh Shah and Amir Khusrow, alongside the work of artist Sobia Ahmad. This program, presented in partnership with Reed Society for the Sacred Arts, was selected from Hamiltonian Artists open call, which invites artists, organizers, and cultural workers to present professional presentations in our U Street gallery space. ABOUT THE EXHIBTION: Hamiltonian Artists is thrilled to present Entangled Light | ربطِ نُور, a solo exhibition by Sobia Ahmad. The immersive multimedia installation—composed of experimental gelatin silver photographs and hand-processed 16mm film—explores and expands upon an ancient Sufi parable of moths drawn to a flame. Paralleling the moth’s pull toward light with the artist’s labor in the darkroom, the project frames artistic practice as a form of spiritual inquiry shaped by uncertainty, trial, reverence, and revelation. Click here to learn more. Image credit: Sobia Ahmad, Ignescent, 2026, Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the artist.