Exhibit: Real life isn’t peachy

Hackneyed in the hands of any other, Faruqi sets new standard for urban art.

ISLAMABAD:

“Kahaniyan” displays the various faces that the city of lights spells out for people. The exhibition, an ode to the city by Moeen Faruqi opened at Khaas Art Gallery on Tuesday.

Graduating in Physics from California State University and with an M.Ed from the University of Wales, the artist has had numerous solo and group art shows both internationally and in Pakistan.

The Khaas showcase exhibits work from the Faruqi’s Singapore exhibition.

The paintings are strong, stark depictions of faces and the variations in expression.

The intent behind them seems to be to project the human face to a new level, so instead of concentrating on the intricate nuances the faces are painted from Faruqi’s imagination and are straightforward and uncomplicated.

The young faces portrayed bring attention to the superficial glorification of juvenile appearances.

Some pieces like “Behind My Back” and “Unholy Night” are a projection of the peculiar web of modern human relationships and depict a woman clinging to a man behind her husband/lover’s back and another couple wining and dining together.

“I want to show the real side of relationships in today’s fast urban life,” said Faruqi.

In “What’s Life Between Friends?” the adopted tone is sarcastic. With melancholy green combined with deep blue and yellow hues to depict the guarded expressions of people, the piece leaves an open-ended interpretation to viewers as does most of the exhibit’s work. But the message behind the show is clear: life isn’t all rainbows and flowers. An important message in today’s fast-paced world.

The gallery exhibits 12 of the artist’s pieces and will continue till November 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2011.