In the blink of an eye: Maliha Azami Aga depicts struggles faced by women

Emphasis on eyes brings hidden stories to life

KARACHI: She puts up a brave front, she doesn’t dwell on her sorrows, and she endears every hurdle with a smile plastered on her face.

Artist Maliha Azami Aga unravels the struggles faced by women in everyday lives in her solo show, titled ‘Alchemy’, at Artscene Galleries.

The artist describes her works as creating something new out of the typical. According to her, the process involves unwinding the mind and revealing the significance of different marks and their meanings. The paintings are a mix of acrylics, pen and pencil.

She has used images of different women to show their story. She depicts women with sharp features, with not so prominent features and others with meaningful expressions. Their faces are constructed in both abstract and realistic form.

Viewers relate to the paintings in relation to their personal experiences, she said while speaking to The Express Tribune. “It is a commentary on every woman who has a story to tell. Every woman has her personal battles to fight,” she added.



The most poignant feature of the paintings is the eyes. She portrays doe eyes, bespectacled eyes and teary eyes, among others. They are a recurrent feature in every face, making the viewer pause and search for secrets hidden in them.

In fact, it is the eyes that shape the expression of an individual’s face, even when nothing is being said on the surface. It is the emotions in the eyes that brings the stories to life. “Yes, the eyes are talking. After all, they are windows to the soul,” said the artist.

“Every piece, each painting is personal and universal at the same time,” said Aga. The artist goes on to say that every woman’s face is very, very personal to her as it’s coming from inside her, her action and reaction to different stimuli around her.

Today is the last day of the exhibition.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st,  2016.