Exhibition: For she holds up half the sky

10 artists explore feminism through a fresh perspective.

ISLAMABAD:

A display celebrating the essence of women opened at the Satrang gallery here on Friday. As many as 10 artists came together for the show titled “Women: holding up half the sky” to portray varied styles and forms of the female figure.

In the collection, Ahsen Asif’s work comprises portrait in dark colours contrasted with vibrant reds and blues. “His women have vivid flowers in their hair, their expressions are intelligent but peaceful, almost resigned; their eyes look away from the viewer,” said the gallery’s curator Zahra Khan.

Amra Khan chose to depict the darker side of femininity. Her pieces are diverse, some overflowing with bright opulence, while others almost gruesome in their raw emotion, said Khan.

Inspired by Kafka’s metamorphosis for instance, Faten Suleman’s work examines the transformations a women’s body goes through over a period of time.

Sahar Hashmi used thick medium and bold colours to make a statement. Her work blocks the viewer from seeing a form in her art, which makes it a classic, said Khan. Amna Ilyas’s complicated pieces elaborate shapes and contours of a woman very elegantly.

Sculptures by Isma Hussain grab the attention of a viewer. White sculpture covered with a sheet and just a dark braid sticking out, legs of a woman or even a sculpture, deals with physical appearance and body condition. Khan explained that weight issues are explained through her work. Women are often treated differently based upon their exterior persona, she said.

Iqbal Hussain presented his signature dancing girls from Lahore’s Heera Mandi (Diamond Market) through vibrant brushstrokes, while simultaneously bringing out their vulnerability and strength. Khan explained that Hussain’s pieces are strengthened by his ability to convey what is unsaid and unseen though delicate details like the stances and gestures.

Other artists featured are Amna Tariq with her work of women caught in cycle of destruction and Annem Zaidi’s idea of seduction in shadow figures gives an entirely new meaning to her unknown figures. The exhibition will continue till May 10.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2012.