Exhibit: From accounts to abstracts

Sherzada Khalid Iqbal left Wall Street to come back home and paint

ISLAMABAD:

One can foresee that the story is going to be extremely interesting when the protagonist moves to Islamabad and starts painting after studying and training as a chartered accountant in London and practicing hardcore accountancy in New York for 34 long years. The mind wonders as to what could trigger such a sudden change?

As much as this may seem like an excerpt from a novel, it is the real life story of Sherzada Khalid Iqbal, a self-taught artist who experienced a stroke in 2007 while in New York. He had worked in the city all his life. After recovering, Iqbal decided to move back to Islamabad, his hometown. To kill time while living a retired life, he started painting. Over the years he has painted numerous pieces, from which around 100 were finally exhibited at a solo exhibition titled ‘Dances with Colours’ at a private venue on Saturday.

The halls of the private residence oozed energy as they displayed around the hundred bright art pieces from Iqbal’s collection. Lady Ghazala Hameed, The High Sheriff of Greater London, hosted the exhibition in support for her charity Concern for Mental Health, a UK-based charity working on mental health support in various areas of Pakistan and India.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Lady Hameed said that when she first saw Iqbal’s work, she not only selected it for her own collection, but also instantly decided that she wanted more people to see it. “It is for this reason that I hosted this exhibition in support of a charity that supports mental health,” she said.

Iqbal’s artwork, primarily abstract with enamel on canvas and wood and glass showcased an abstract-expressionism style. The colours he used are full of life and energy, and hint that he has spent a good life. Iqbal is a master of fluid paintings. His works are bold, bright and express spontaneity and explosive movement. The layers of liquid enamel in his work not only give a lot of texture, but also appear to be in a constant state of flux.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Iqbal said that he does not know anything about art. “I studied and practiced accountancy throughout my life, so when people ask me what my style is, I don’t know what to say. I have never trained as an artist. I just practiced it to kill time and find something interesting to do in order to get busy after the stroke. My wife Shehla had a better understanding of colours and would often tell me which colours to use and I would go with the flow,” he said.

He added that he has been experimenting with different mediums. “All my work is done with my hand and I only use enamel because I believe it can be manipulated as I want. When it comes to colours, there are no particular colours that I like. If I use greens and blues in one painting, I opt for another colour in the next one,” Iqbal explained.

Shedding light on his life, he said the stroke changed his priorities. From the ever-challenging financial district of New York, that demands you to be the best at your job, moving back to Islamabad itself was a great experience. “Islamabad is home, it may be slow paced but there’s beauty in that. There is a different charm in the city’s beautiful weather, in knowing just about everyone in the city and the retired life where you don’t compete with anyone and meet your close friends every evening,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2016.