Wearable art: Bringing inspiration to everyday wear

Artist has truly produced eclectic bunch by borrowing from other cultures including African, Sri Lankan and Egyptian.

ISLAMABAD:

Artist Uzma Pervez opened her house to the fashion conscious and artistic in Islamabad to present her recent art collection, hand-painted kurtas, dupattas, shirts and unstitched material.

Pervez says the female form inspires her, which is evident from her vivid portraits of ethereal beauty on some of the shirts. Some of her pieces depict Pakistani culture such as women carrying troughs of water on their heads and seem to tell their own story.

The artist has truly produced an eclectic bunch by borrowing from other cultures including African, Sri Lankan and Egyptian. She has also incorporated motifs in her designs by creating more intricate pivotal designs. “I usually like working against white and off-white as it’s closer to a canvas and I can easily transfer my inspiration by artistic process onto it,” Pervez said. The white backdrop does definitely accentuate her artwork and makes an excellent choice for light summer wear, however, there is no lack of colourful clothes either.

Though innovative and eye-catching, the artist herself admits that this kind of wear is more for the bold as it is out-of-the-box. “Most individuals are used to wearing floral prints and not geometrical shapes, faces and other such designs on their clothing,” says Pervez.

Fortunately, her designs was appreciated greatly. Nida Awan, a university student, commented, “This is the first time I’ve seen faces on shirts, I found it very unique, there were African masques, Egyptian symbols…quite fascinating”.

Though a successful exhibition, Pervez doesn’t only hand paint clothing; she is also a bona fide artist. She did her bachelor’s in fine arts and has taught art at a private school for 12 years. She also showcased her miniature art collection at the former ‘GupShup’ Gallery.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2012.