‘Bahar Ayi’: Artworks depict pre-partition heritage, feudalism

ISLAMABAD:

Inspired by the pre-partition life of Lahore and Rawalpindi, artist Ahmed Habib has put on canvas the architectural heritage of the two cities as well as the social decadence.

His new collection of paintings, done in oil over acrylic, blended with his interpretation of old architecture and his imagination, is on display at Nomad gallery.

The exhibition, titled ‘Bahar Ayi’, shows the merging of nature with architecture, depicting trees painted amid ancient structures of the two cities. It is rather befitting due to the current spell of rains in twin cities, particularly because of the way Habib has chosen to portray clouds in his paintings; therefore setting the perfect mood for such weather.

An interesting feature of the display, as pointed out by the artist himself, is the colour ultramarine, which is used in every single piece albeit at times subtly.



The collection also shows immense deepness because of the technique used to paint them; they’re painted with brush, palette knife and hand to give depth and uniqueness.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Nageen Hyat, director of Nomad Art Gallery, said that even though she was fond of the entire collection, there were some pieces that particularly stood out.

“The way Habib has used his artwork to depict the feudalism and patriarchy in our society is stunning. It is not always about the buildings and the outer look but also about what is happening inside, [which] is the bigger question”, she said.

Habib said that he has worked in several mediums including sculpture but he generally enjoyed working in oil and acrylic on canvas.

Habib has displayed at 10 solo exhibitions and over 50 group exhibitions in Pakistan and abroad. He received his formal training from Oman where he was also awarded a National Award, but despite that, he has continued to be inspired by the Pakistani architecture.

“The works displayed in this exhibition are a part of my attempt to preserve the beauty of Lahore and Rawalpindi’s architecture. I feel as an artist, I didn’t have to blend the two because they are strikingly similar since they were originally built by the Sikhs prior to partition”, he said.

He further said that after studying the buildings of Lahore and Rawalpindi in detail, he tried to gather the architectural content to preserve it in his artwork. “What is unique about my work is that the entire collection is a blend of the essence of the architecture blended with my own inspiration. No single piece represents a particular building. I personally feel like that is a photographer’s job while an artist must always bring in their own inspiration to the artwork,” he said.

When asked why the paintings have such interesting names, Habib told The Express Tribune that he thought of himself as a poet as well and named his paintings using his poetic touch.

The exhibition is ongoing till March 31, 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2016.