Statement art: Resurrection on Rahi’s mind

A collection boasting of different styles showcased at Gallery Louvre.

ISLAMABAD:

Nuanced with striking workmanship, Mansoor Rahi’s exhibition “Resurrect Rock Series” showcases three distinct styles of sketching.

The collection features “Synergy,” a mix of both harsh and soft sketching medium; “Iconography,” sketches developed by a singular line without using support or colour; and “Volume,” shades of defining shapes.

For Rahi, “Synergy” is a melody, in which he has used the harsh medium of marker outlining the shape, which represents the beat by tabla to the artist. He has complemented these shapes with soft graphite, which he dubs “the visual equivalent of a sitar.” Followed by Sadeqain, Rahi is the second artist to use marker as a medium. The use of marker to create strong statement sketches is the niche of a season artist.

The second medium, “Iconography”, is as different from the usual sketch as chalk is from cheese. The series is a result of imaginative shape in the artist’s mind, he works freely yet retains his school of thought.

The sketches in “Volume” are made using the soft medium of graphite. The series neutralises the hard formation of the “Resurrect Rock Series.” The intriguing part about Rahi’s work is that conventionality and non-conformity to cubism coexist. Rahi’s paintings and drawings depict abstraction yet the visual imagery remains representational.

“It is rare for an artist to share a blueprint of his work. But in this exhibition, the sketch work of all three kinds are as explanatory as they could get for anyone to understand,” commented Gallery Louvre Curator Alina Saeed.

Rahi is a master of art, who shares his learning generously; his art school has produced many accomplished artists, not only in Pakistan but also at international level. He also shared his knowledge by hosting an art segment in a morning show for over six years.

The exhibition holds a treat of his Neo-Precisions and antagonistic paintings. Using colours of blue and red simultaneously, which are generally considered to be a faux pas in the art world, the artist has captured the energy of movement in his antagonistic paintings.

His work will be on display till January 6.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2011.