Home ground: Young artists make creative sparks fly

KARACHI: Young artists were given the opportunity to show their talents at the thesis show of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) Monday morning.

As many as 16 students’ works were put on display at the IVS campus. The event was abuzz with excitement and joy as families and friends of the students came to support them.

Zayyana Kamran’s work, titled ‘Khabarnama’, uses the medium of photo transfer on marble tiles to depict desensitisation in society. “These newspaper images [tend to] desensitise humans and their thoughts,” she said.

‘Untitled’ by Hafsa Sakaria

On the other hand, Hafsa Sakaria uses the medium of woodcut on paper and digital print on archival paper in her work, titled ‘Untitled’. Talking about them, she said it is inspired from her trying to balance her school life with her married life. A recurring image in the works is that of fried egg, which is reflective of her journey. “Currently, I’m trying very hard to balance my life,” she said. “These images in abundance that you see delve on the fried eggs, [which portrays] the early days of my marriage.” She mentioned how she didn’t know how to fry an egg but learnt it overtime from her husband. “The fried egg builds on the relationship that I share with him now.”

Another student, Andrea D’Souza, in her untitled work portrays animal brutality. “The recent incident of poisoning of stray dogs led me to build my thesis,” she said. Other than dogs, her work always showcases brutality against rhinos and elephants. “I have used plastic toys [to highlight the issue] so that people can revert back to their childhood memories and understand the dichotomy of it.”

Ayesha Naveed’s work, titled ‘Sofa’, is reflective of the relationship with her father. Talking about the project, she says “I trailed my father around the house because I wanted to be like him. My work is an investigation of a sofa, a space in my house, which is always occupied by him. Through my paintings I am trying to recreate the activity of shadowing him and still ensuring my inconspicuousness.”

Zoila Solomon’s ‘Memoirs of Mughal Chambers’ traces her childhood memories of growing up in a joint family. “I was a part of a joint family system till I was 10 years. The images from that time are still embedded in my thoughts; the stories I hear relive within me. I found these old photographs from home and ended up basing my project on it.”



Zoya Nadeem showcased abstract work that focused on body parts while Bisma Raffat’s ‘Spatial Contradiction’ depicted how a bird’s freedom is taken away when it is placed in a cage.

Talking about the graduate show, IVS fine arts head Adeela Sulaiman said “Students are facilitated by their advisers in the degree show.” Most of these students reflect on their relationships and how they feel about them. “They are making statements with which the viewer can agree or blankly disagree.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2016.