Art exhibition: ‘Musicals on the beat of the dervish’

Recent NCA graduate Bin Qullander shows new work at Ejaz Gallery.

LAHORE:

Ejaz Gallery opened its doors to a young artist, Bin Qullander, on Thursday. Qullander graduated from the National College of Arts (NCA) in 2010 and had five exhibitions in the same year. “Bin Qullander has gained in ten year what others achieve in thirty,” raved art critic Shamim Akhtar.

Akhtar added, “His works . . . are musicals on the beat of the dervish.”

Qullander mixes calligraphy, miniature and landscape in his current work. “Calligraphy is usually taken as a craft. I am passionate about turning it into an art form,” said the artist.

“His strokes flow up and down much like Beethoven’s notes,” said Akhtar, adding “each canvas is like an orchestra where every instrument plays its own role in creating a symphony.”

Dr Afshan Farrukh Khan, a part-time student at NCA, said, “Seeing how Qullander uses imagination to enhance his work makes the outcome fantastic.

We can all learn from the way in which he merges modernity and traditional techniques while incorporating miniature.”

Lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan inaugurated the show and commended Bin Qullander on his work.

Ahsan hailed Qullander as a visionary and said it was good that even in a strained political climate our youth was able to produce fantastic works of art.

“Qullander was always ahead of his time and impressed us even in college. Seeing his work now, it is clear that he has matured a great deal since he graduated last year,” Beenish Usman, Qullander’s friend and a miniature painter said. “He was blunt and spoke his mind and those traits are even more pronounced in his work now.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2011.