Centre stage: Wood works - Evoking a forgotten art

Exhibition will showcase an assortment of abstract murals.

ISLAMABAD:

Wood art has taken a back seat in Pakistan when it comes to interest and awareness among the public. However, this might change after “It’s all about Wood” exhibition that opens on Friday (tomorrow).

The event boasts of an assortment of abstract murals by Nazir Ahmed, Ahmed Iqbal and Mubashir Iqbal’s pyrography.

According to Louvre’s Saleem Lalani, “the art of wood in Pakistan is not less than the international standard”, but it is not publically visible.

Nazir, an artist from Sibi, Baluchistan, has been carving wood for 25 years. He has exhibited his work in Europe and North America. Nazir’s creations portray his own school of thought.

In one of his work voluptuous women are depicted as deities carved from single wood pieces. What draws one’s attention is that most of the carved figures consist of single-eyed faces, which according to the artist represent “the limited vision of people who cannot accept what the world has to offer them”. His work with colour varies along with his murals which range from burgundy, browns, ochre and greens.

Though the thought of one-eyed women may give out a harsh image, Ahmed softens the portrayal by decorating his deities with flowers and jewellery.

Guest appearances by Iqbal who, unlike Ahmed, carves lines in plywood and tells stories of warlords at council meeting and street scenes of norther Punjab and the Mughal monuments - brings a different dimension to the exhibition.

Meanwhile, Mubashir Iqbal’s pyrography on plywood elucidates a unique art where scenery is drawn on a piece of plywood which is then burnt by folding iron to the create the impression on the wood.

Ten of his pyrographies are realistic landscapes of old city Lahore and the Rohtas Fort, illustrating the everyday hustle and bustle where people and carts travel along the close-knit streets contrasting with the high walls that tower above.

The exhibition will continue till November 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2011.