Solo show: Painting the colours of life

Artist Muhammad Arshad Khan showcases his recent collection at Grandeur Art Gallery

KARACHI: Artist Muhammad Arshad Khan believes his canvas has stretched from his hometown in Taxila, Pakistan, to Texas in United States and his work is deeply inspired by line, light and colours.

Talking to The Express Tribune at his solo show of paintings, titled ‘From Next to Nothing’, at Grandeur Art Gallery, the artist shared thoughts on his artwork, relationship with Bashir Mirza and what made him do his first solo show in around 20 years.

According to Khan, his hometown is located near Taxila, where the ruins of Gandhara art lie. “In 1992, I came to Karachi and, as a young student, I tried my hands on limitless things to unearth my inner talent, from theatre, music and student politics,” he said. However, Khan added, it was Waseemuddin at Arts Council, who guided him and introduced him to senior artists such as Ali Imam and Bashir Mirza, also known as BM. “I [remained] BM’s student from the beginning of September, 1997, till his death on January 5, 2000,” he said.

Other than his work being inspired by line, light and colour, there are nudes in his drawings as well. According to Khan, he got to learn the art of drawing, basic philosophy of art, movement and art history from BM. When asked about their relationship and how BM taught him, Khan said, “It was a traditional and informal way of schooling. I used to assist BM in his office and artwork.”

While Khan’s work brings forward his collection either with acrylics or oil on canvas, he believes that with each drawing he has only grown to appreciate nature more. Talking about why he has used so many bright colours in his recent paintings, Khan said that he is a stamp collector and that, he believes, might have induced in him the idea of bringing forward a lot of colour in his collection.

Though he has done several group shows across the world, ‘From Next to Nothing’ was his maiden solo show that he has done 20 years after he became an artist. “This is 20 years of practice that has today seen the light of the day,” he said.

“Khan’s work is very different from BM’s work because there is a lot of colour and there are nudes, too,” said the owner of Grandeur Art Gallery, Neshmia Ahmed. However, she added, the presence of Heeran Minar and Eiffel Tower in the collection on the big canvas gives a huge impact.

The exhibition of the paintings at Grandeur Art Gallery will continue till November 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2016.