Among the artists whose work stood out as worth mentioning was Adeela Shah. Her work consisted of black and white large scale canvases. Her paintings were done with felt tip and graphite, inspired by Pink Floyd. After speaking to the artist I learnt that her connection to Pink Floyd came from being in a state of mind which helped her relate to Pink Floyd’s music. She personifies herself in her art as the sunflower.
(In the words of Floyd: I know I’m mad, I’ve always been mad, like most of us are.)
Next were the experimental miniatures by Malika Abbas. She uses needles to depict the logic points in the male and female brain which are supposedly a measure of intelligence. Her work is a comment on how a lot of the research out there is so disconnected with real-life wisdom. She uses the circle-verses-square logic to argue that everything in this universe has its own place and purpose, and how one should not make judgements based on whatever little information one has. I found logic, wisdom and depth in her approach, and her paintings were truly intriguing to look at.
The brilliant ceramics portion of the exhibit, showcased by Abeer Asim, was made even more appealing by her simple and eloquent description of the concept behind her work. She used the rickshaw as a symbol of our culture, and made it a mode of social commentary. Her message is that today’s youth is forgetting its culture and slowly our wonderfully quirky surroundings are being defaced. Western influences have spilled into our environment to change and morph it into global homogeneity. She has a desi version of a Manchester United football shirt and a Mughal rickshaw express forsaken glory. Then there is a piece that looks like a spaceship and one that brings to mind the traditional rickshaw. Her work is a well thought out and straight forward musing on identity crisis plaguing us today.
Asma Arif uses her paintings to comment on the double standards in life. The free floating form one sees in a marble is frozen in its circular environment and allowed only to exist within given parameters. She then went on to explain her larger acrylic on canvas piece, which portrays the children’s pick-the-finger game. She connected that to real life where you can see your choices laid out in front of you, but only when you have chosen you realise the true nature of your choice. Her work also deals with the experience of being a woman of a certain economic class who finds freedom provided on a silver platter but only to a certain limit.
Sara Mirza had used the image of a glass bottle in the most titillating way. Her piece called Ardent Love made me smile, cringe and go “ahhh”. Her two other pieces were similarly about how everyone lives in their own safe-zone inflicted upon them by society, religion or a personal emotional barrier. I found that Sara had made her point using good skill in a very entertaining and interesting manner.
Ammad Tahir also contributed to this show with his charcoal drawings stained with tea. His work left me with a wonderfully wandering feeling of not knowing what to make of the imagery. The surety of his strokes comes through brilliantly in the large scale pieces and it’s refreshing to see the lack of gimmicks. The sketches maintain their very raw and primal feel. Ammad has amazing potential especially if he continues to develop his gifts of quirky landscapes and human figures that go far beyond figure drawing.
Madiha Arif has undertaken the painting of a very strong and controversial subject. She deals with the double standards and exploitation in our society. It is like someone painting a peach and making the viewer hungry by the shear vividness of it. Here she tries to paint such a large picture of what’s wrong with our society and how much has gone wrong with our gender equation. Her work may make one squirm and want to move away, but though we may turn a blind eye to it, exploitation occurs around us all the time. I think it takes immense courage in barring ones soul in such a bold manner and I applaud her for that.
Rabia Ashfaq has created a series of mysterious images which intrigue the viewer on many levels. Her poem “Death of a Mortal King” is depicted with the help of her prints. I found that work made me think and feel, all in a very light yet meaningful way. I hope she continues her unique thoughtful and thought-provoking image making.
Aisha Gul painted scandalous sandals. She has a very bold way of addressing gender issues. She represents the female as a high heeled shoe. It is the artist’s discretion to paint however she wants, but personally I found that the male figure presented in too direct and literal a manner, which was a distraction from the subtlety and nuances of the art work. Visually speaking though, I enjoyed the refreshing colours and the interesting imagery.
There were many more artists and interesting art works on display at the exhibit. I look forward to the participants going forward and making their mark on the art scene in Pakistan and beyond.
