‘On a Whim’: Ordinary moments of life captured on canvas

Artist paints people and things orbiting her social and domestic spaces

LAHORE: A solo exhibition featuring more than 16 artworks exploring the notions of life as a collection of ordinary whimsical and playful moments went on display at The Paint Bucket art gallery on Wednesday.

The pieces by Sara Aslam Noorani have been created using acrylic on canvas, mixed media and ink on paper.

Sara says her works are an exploration of the wondrous elements that exist parallel to seemingly redundant moments in time, making them extraordinary.



She said her first points of inspiration were drawn from a world familiar to her. “The subjects of my works are all referenced from the people and things that orbit the social and domestic spaces I occupy,” she said.

Talking about two of her paintings titled ‘Sar Pe Sawar-1 and -2’, Sara said the portraits featured her domestic helpers since they were a part of her daily life. “They were not actually posing like this, however, the way I’ve positioned them describes their subjective personalities, which is rather amusing and entertaining for me at times,” she elaborates.

The artist added that even though these works were personal explorations of her everyday spaces and things, she felt like they extended beyond her.

She described her work as moments that are ubiquitous and speak to a greater shared communal experience.

In the process of making work for this series, her definition of portraiture was reframed and it moved beyond the confines of just the figure, Sara says.

“These pieces explore how a portrait can also be the visual articulation of a place, an inanimate object and even a thought associated with a person,” she said. “Whim and whimsicality are at the core of my work. These paintings are a loving and conscious exercise in being freed.”

Anum Lasharie, the curator, said the artist took conventional moments and seemingly ordinary people and created a world of fantasy. “She brings energy and vigour into the seemingly ordinary,” she said. “The portraits accompanied by a small imaginary space are especially creative.”



Anum said the artist had attempted to create a world for her characters, which she believed defines them in a whole new way. “Altogether her work is inspirational and a breath of fresh air,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2016.