Calling All Heroes: Reza

Danish Reza’s Calling All Heroes exhibition kick starts at Poppy Seed Art Gallery.

KARACHI: A recent art exhibition staged at the Poppy Seed Art Gallery on Friday displayed the inspirational work of Danish Reza, a graduate from the Karachi School of Arts. The artist draws inspiration from comic heroes and portrays a strong interpretation of real situations. Reza titled his exhibition, Calling All Heroes and will continue to display his work till February 20.

The artist reveals that he has always had a deep passion for painting and interpreting arts and has been painting since the early 1990’s.

Majority of the 18 pieces were acrylic on canvas, penned graphics and digital print images on paper. However, conceptually each piece signals an impending doom yet at the same time leaves a lingering thought in the viewer’s mind. The artist has toyed with dark hues and somber shades to deliberately enunciate the turmoil of the current situation in our country.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Danish Raza explained his concept in detail saying, “It is based on iconic symbolism, and each one (painting) is a simple element that is reflective of the current situation in the world.”

He further added, “Besides this it comes under the theme of the ‘black period’ (a mood swing the painter underwent in 2010) and hence, Calling All Heroes is an apt placement.

Reza  asserts, “(There was a time when) one stood up against a tyrannical ruler, but in today’s world there is no concept of heroes at least not in this century; and we need to do things on our own. My paintings are a simple illusion of what I see. These paintings may be dark, but I am certainly hopeful about the future.”

“Iconic symbolism is what I perform through, as I try to appreciate the good things in life and rebuke the bad ones that come along the way. My images are ambiguous, surreal because I do not make a normal piece nor do I paint it,” adds the artist.

The artist also takes the opportunity to reveal his perceptions of classic heroes. “Classic Heroes who kept their identities hidden behind masks basically originate from the 1970s and are now long gone,” said Reza disappointed.“The fear factor is so strong that even when one wants to help another, fear kicks in and then there are those who have unsung stories,” says the artist.

The artist takes his work very seriously and emphasizes his commitment to it, “My work- is in a process of change — for we are in a process of constant change, from political struggle or social injustice, what is now required of us is to create heroes to help combat the monsters that we have created.”

Moreover, Reza believes in drawing inspiration from the suffering and chaos of people from around the world and then manifests a unique interpretation through hiswork.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2011.