Painting inspiration: Using light to acquire hope

Ali Hammad displays 53 pieces at solo exhibition

LAHORE:

A solo exhibition dedicated to homeless people seeking light and shade kicked off at Ejaz Art Gallery on Friday.

It is titled, In Pursuit of Light,and features 53 pieces made by Ali Hammad using oil on canvas.

“Light is the central idea in my paintings. I paint still life and portraits in which light and shades appear to be coming out of a window,” says  Hammad.

“Light is one of the best gifts from God. It is the soul and lifeblood of universe.”

Hammad says he often recalls Goethe’s last words MehrLicht which means more light. He says in a Dutch style using coloured ground as under painting. He says his paintings are more inventive than just being a “mechanical copy” of the outside world.

“There is a mysterious sequence found in nature, a chain of things where one thing comes after the other. It is just like a baby is born at one place while someone dies at another, or like seasons in a year, night following the day, or light chasing the shadow. This has always fascinated me,”says Hammad.

He says while painting he asks himself four questions –what,where,why and how much. “This approach helps me invent stuff, allowing me to give each painting a different visual concept,” the artist says.

Hammad says he uses everyday objects with the interplay of light and shade “not only to make beautiful paintings but also to symbolically address the dark and difficult times we are passing through”.“During such times,a glimmering ray of light or a moment of attention is what offers us the hope,” he says.

Former National College of Arts principal Sajida Vandal, who inaugurated the exhibition, said that one could look at Hammad’s work on different levels.

She said the artists had applied various techniques in his work. “This is a dominant feature of his work,” she said. “One of the interesting features in his work is that he has tried to show that light can create different moods,” Vandal said.

She said that light was not just a physical object…it came with a lot of other meanings as well.

“The work on display is excellent without any doubt.” Artist Saeed Akhtar praised Hammad for his effort and understanding of the art.

“I believe that the exhibition is one of the best shows this year,”Akhtar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2016.