‘Her Very Own Language’ depicts a woman’s world

Three artists choose to express themselves without any barriers

KARACHI: The ideal world of most freethinking women would be based on freewill. Such a world is depicted by three artists at an exhibition, titled 'Her Very Own Language', at ArtChowk Gallery.

The world of these women is based on freewill and challenges existing gender roles, with the fight for freedom inherent to it. Employing different mediums, technique and imagery to express themselves without any barriers, the three artists have commented on how they perceive their worlds in their unique ways.

For example, Kiran Shah has experimented with installations on mixed media that are both sombre and beaming with streaks of colours. The artist doesn't shy away from the use of bright and sharp colours, perhaps both as a symbolic reference to female brilliance and, in particular, her own individuality. "I am looking for myself in the classic female portraits through my colours and composition," she said in her statement. "My personal interpretation brings to life these timeless works of art."



But then all is not about her own self. Two oil-on-canvas paintings seem to be her reflections of other people. A woman sitting with a miserable, long expression on a bed of roses is depicted against a muscled figure of a man with the face of a horse sitting on a throne, signifying power and authority. The artist appears to be challenging the way gender is perceived in societies.

The second artist, Shahana Munawar, has worked with hearts. The hearts are depicted not as a state of mind, but as real organs responsible for pumping blood to the body. Titled 'Ae Dil-e-Nadan', the series consists of heart sculptures, patterned and painted to describe the state of the heart. There were the jet black, yellow and orange ones to depict a fiery state and there were white ones with blue scriptures, symbolising peace and spirituality. These hearts are combined with another series of acrylic-on-canvas paintings, titled 'Beyond the Beauty', to show that perhaps beauty lies beyond the surface and is present in the hearts as well if one looks past the physical characteristics.

On the other hand, Zainub Mawaz has touched the themes of self-restriction, holding back and the fight for freedom. One of her works depicted her aggression through an installation of a cage hanging against a mural-like scenic background with blue and white tints. A mixed media-on-paper painting, titled 'Ominous Woman Let the Bird Go', seemed to be focused on the theme of pride. Meanwhile, another painting, titled 'Downside Upside', with female mannequins installed along with it showed the female form in parallel positions with one straight face and another upside down. This seemed to be a comment on the challenges faced by women due to existing gender stereotypes. In her press statement, Mawaz says that her compositions are definitive of her thoughts and open for interpretation.

The exhibition runs till May 26, 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2016.