‘Eminent Artists of Pakistan’: ‘Art to catch the eye if not wallet’

Work of artists from all over the country has been put up for sale till January 29.

ISLAMABAD: If ones pocket were not so light, and by this measure, featherweight, then in a splurge would one gladly dish out to buy some of the artwork on display at Gallery 6. Celebrating its silver jubilee, the gallery is holding its ‘Eminent Artists of Pakistan’ exhibition, showcasing artists from all over the country and putting up nearly all the works for sale. The exhibit will run until the 29th of this month with price lists of the artwork available at the gallery’s reception.

In variety, the exhibit is quite an assortment, dabbling in Rabia Zuberi sculptures, Sadequain sketches, Shahla Rafi vistas, portraits of Faiz and some bemusing abstracts.

It runs quite the gamut, with nearly 60 pieces on display, one of them sure to catch your eye if not your wallet; some works come with price tags well into six figures. Of those particularly winning includes Rashid Arshed’s   ‘Rhythms in Scripts’, which contains dizzying calligraphy accentuated by its deep colours.

Akram Spaul’s ‘Chowdhary’ is an amusing visual commentary; the silhouette of a proud turbaned feudal against the reality of a crutch resting upon his seat, its tongue-in-cheek nature adds more falvour to its novelty.  ‘Thari Woman’ by Mohammed Ali is a splash of colour; vibrant and rouged and complimentary of the women of Thar. Furthermore, an abstract wonder is Sana Arjumand’s ‘In the Playground- Dialogue’. It is a flighty, befrocked little girl in conversation with seeming, star-dotted vegetation, her face mirrored against a swathe of yellow.

Abdul Jabbar Gull’s wooden carving ‘Face 1, 2, 3’ resemble Neolithic tribal figures and Rabia Zuberi’s pinched and puckered forms recline as neat, feminine shapes.

A rare Sadequain, the only one of the exhibit, is also for sale, a simple ink profile of a shawl-clad woman. A true find among the selection, possibly being one of the best, is Omar Farid’s mesmerising ‘Circe- La Belle Sans Merci’ echoing Keats’s poem ‘Intricate’. Stark in black and white and spell-binding, the work centres on a woman with a floral halo, her chequered coat a visual puzzle, different angels revealing hidden figures. With its female subject and geometric shapes the painting has airs of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt; a gem among the collection.

Of course the above are only a handful of the exhibit with different works sure to appeal according to ones taste. Most surely, the exhibition is worth a visit and if the pocket permits, an investment too.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2011.