The hands that transform cold stone into a symphony

Hamra Abbas' artistry echoes Michelangelo's mastery, blending material and form to create powerful, transcendent works

Dear Michelangelo Bounarroti,

Allow me to introduce you to our little Hamra Abbas. She is petite only in physique otherwise she is a maestro, much like yourself, when it comes to creating large-scale sculptures and skillfully handling challenging stone like marble. She also reminds of you in her detail-oriented investigation, selection of material, exploration of diverse mediums and pursuit of perfection in all. Last but not the least, she shares your eagerness to complete projects and swiftly move onto the next. Critics often remark on your meticulous stone selection process, spending hours scrutinising each slab. I'm convinced of your intuitive approach - negotiating with the form within, envisioning the liberation of the imprisoned shape. Hamra's process, however, is reversed. Instead of subtracting, she employs an additive method, inlaying stones to create intricate patterns. She listens to the stone, takes notes and carefully considers shapes, colours, and textures to add. Under her skilled hands, cold stone transforms into a harmonious symphony. I appreciate how her works invite viewers into close proximity. 'Garden', a 32x30ft floor sculpture, becomes interactive as one walks on the marble, set with lapis lazuli, granite, serpentine, calcite, and jasper. This deliberate walk brings the garden to life, rendering it sacred. The experience transports one from earthly realities to heavenly realms - something close to what you painted on the iconic Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Artists are enigmatic beings, perceiving the hidden and crafting realities that exist beyond the tangible. They weave illusions, sell visions that captivate and transport the onlookers who eagerly seek to buy into, consume and immerse themselves in these creative worlds. In a recent show titled Water, Plants & Other Ecologies, at the Barracks, Lahore, Abbas presented four 'River Studies', crafted in marble and granite along with her signature style gardens. Despite working with static materials, she masterfully captured the dynamic movement of water, conveying its fluid energy. While others speak of frozen rivers and waters, Abbas freezes its mighty force, juxtaposing the stationary marble with the fluidity of water. This paradoxical combination is reminiscent of your iconic works, such as 'David' and 'Moses', where exaggerated muscle movements vividly convey David's rage before killing Goliath and Moses' unwavering determination to spread the word of God. Similarly, these 'River Studies' exemplify the artist's ability to transcend material limitations, infusing life into the inanimate.

Is it true that you aspired to be remembered primarily as an architect, despite your breathtaking murals and unparalleled sculptures? As an observer, I notice that your architectural projects harness your unbridled creativity, channeling it into calculated equations of harmony, rhythm and balance. Perhaps this desire to present oneself in a more refined light, veiling one's 'Agony and Ecstasy' (Btw, this is the title of your biography written by Irving Stone) behind resolved designs, is a universal impulse. For some, it's a deliberate effort; for you and Hamra Abbas, it seems instinctive. Her miniature portraits, part of the mentioned show in Lahore, painted with lapis lazuli pigment on silk, exude a cathartic quality. She finds solace in studio solitude, building layers of Ultramarine Blue pigment contrived from hand-ground lapis lazuli in the similar manner that you people would be doing in 16th century Italy. Utilising the traditional Gongbi technique, learned in Singapore, she works on both sides of the silk surface. As the paint permeates through the delicate fabric and loses its intensity in the process, she patiently builds up the layers to achieve the required hue. Making realistic representations of porters, the luggage bearers of mountaineers in this tricky medium is no less a feat than summiting the Himalayas itself. But then the scenic beauty of Northern Pakistan is mesmerising and the present generation of artists frequents these regions learning about the glacial waters, ice-clad peaks and local habitation. It is promising to see them taking the environment, ecology and climate seriously.

Best regards,

Bano

Oct 2024