Amna Hashmi, one of the three artists displaying their work at Gallery 6, is known for creating innovative characters and expressing herself through unusual subjects, said a press release issued by the gallery.
She has three miniatures among the 11 pieces she is displaying at the gallery. The exhibition, “Misplacements Displacements” opened here on Thursday with 29 pieces of artwork. The other two artists exhibiting are Abid Aslam and Hira Zubair; all three are graduates of the National College of Arts (NCA).
Hashmi’s three miniatures are on “Io and the creation of Istalas”, while the remaining eight paintings follow the exhibition’s theme of placed situations. She calls them “convenient fairytales”.
Discussing this unusual theme the art teacher at the Rawalpindi campus of the NCA said that quite often things do not go according to our plans; the wrong sighting of the moon leads to an early celebration, a king’s sudden impulse at his worst hour of the day results in the beheading of a trusty general, or simply those accursed militants showing up at one’s doorstep with a flammable present in hand.
“And who else is to blame for these unfortunate happenings? The fairies of course!” exclaimed the artist. “It is the devilish tricksters and enchanters, amongst us since ages, hidden yet present. Who can resist their evil wiles? So of course we’re not to be blamed for our actions! It’s them, the others.”
Abid Aslam from NCA Lahore has used Gouache on wasli medium to explore the role of links and networks existing within a socio-economic/political system. His images are borrowed from existing tools and gadgets that are necessary to create a particular mechanism. By “displacing” the individual gadgets, he tries to question their position and relationship with each other. What happens when a certain part of the mechanism design goes missing? What is the effect upon the mechanism as a whole if certain gadgets are shuffled? How is the relationship of two random objects determined by their being adjacent, perpendicular, vertical or horizontal to each other? What kind of harmony or chaos arises with these shifts?
Commenting on his miniature paintings, he said our society is based on endless probabilities that define both the domestic and international scenario. “By experimenting with these images, I have tried to analyse various situations. Through the juxtaposition of these images within and against each other, I strive to understand relationships according to the rules of such socio-political structures,” Aslam said. His work lays a lot of emphasise on the subject and the use of imagery.
Hira Zubair, the youngest artist in the group, graduated in 2011. Her work reflects the current political situation. In the light of history she attempts to provide solutions to the socio-economic disorders. “My work is based on politics and for moving towards a soft revolution in Pakistan. I think [the artists] can make the public aware through our art.”
Besides the message that Hira wants to convey, she maintains a focus on her minute brush work and interplay of colours to create the desired impression on the audience.
The exhibition will continue till October 19, from 11am to 7pm, including Sundays.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2011.
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