Super-Duper Perspectives

  • 07 Oct - 13 Oct, 2017
  • Marjorie Husain
  • Art

Mohammad Zeeshan is an acclaimed artist, a student of Imran Qureshi during his National College of Arts (NCA) years, and one who has travelled extensively, showing his work in the UK, Germany and India, and worked on a project at the USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California, USA.

A resident of Lahore, he has gained considerable teaching experience, and is a very encouraging influence to promising young artists.

Zeeshan has curated numerous exhibitions and organised workshops. One has become increasingly aware of Zeeshan’s prodigies through well-attended exhibitions.

Nigaah Art Awards which were recently held at the Mohatta Palace, Karachi, acknowledged the importance of his outstanding work in this field, by awarding him the Top Curator 2017 award – a well-deserved honour.

The most recent curated exhibition that took place at the KOEL Gallery, showed the work of six artists that make a fine start to the new gallery that has been added to KOEL.

Razia Rubin is an artist who grew up in a close family in Sukkur, where it was the family custom to meet up in the evenings and share their daily experiences. Razia’s obvious art talents led to her joining the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA) in Karachi, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction.

During her student days, her parents called every evening to learn of her day. On losing those dear ones, Razia continued the family ritual by painting her day’s activities as she points out the regimen allows her to “Distract myself when I’m unaccompanied and alone.”

Her three paintings displayed in the show worked in graphite, carbon paper and watercolour on paper are titled, Act Naturally, Tell Me What You See and the infinitely moving Rubin And The Cat. The seductive narrative quality of Rubin’s paintings is the telling of the tale.

Jovita Alvares is the recipient of the 2nd Imran Mir Art Prize 2016. Contributing four recent works, her art revolves around the spaces she grew up in Karachi Cantonment. There, one finds the seat she sat in, and the stray dog that invariably joined her.

Alvares graduated with distinction from IVSAA in 2016.

“This current work focuses on activities happening around the park in that area. A space of nature amidst the concrete jungle of the city…” she shares.

The work of Ayesha Naveed exhibited in the show describes an investigation of familiar objects and also “an exploration of the image itself, understanding the use of colour texture, composition”.

Naveed also graduated from IVSAA in 2016 with a Major in printmaking and Minor in painting.

Described as ‘a documentation of human interaction with ordinary things’ the artists’ work is absorbing in its interpretation of the ambiguity of her narration.

Zoila Solomon who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the IVSAA in 2016, exhibited three beautifully print and gouache artworks on Montval, in which she combines ‘pop icons’ of the present times with Renaissance images of history.

About the theory of her work, the artist explains, “We each play different roles in our lives, different roles in front of a different set of people to suit an environment… perhaps the more things change, the more they remain the same.”

The strong and striking work of Saddam Murad made a memorable impact on the viewer. His semi-abstract figurative work has the power of suggestion, with the viewer hoping to see more of this artist’s work in future.

Born and raised in Swat, he took his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Jahanzeb College, Saidu Sharif, Swat, before joining NCA where he graduated with Honours in Fine Arts in 2017.

Now based in Lahore, the artist is a professional practicing artist with a great deal to share.

Noshad Ali has an aesthetic language of interconnected lines which create a subtle fusion of artistic medium.

Unlike the vertical bands of Patrick Heron, Ali’s lines swirl and twirl, perhaps inspired by the uncertainties of the age we live in.

The artist’s paintings are not created in the familiar vocabulary of composition – however, less restrictive ideas may follow the logic of the artist’s methodology. •

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