Zebun Zuby’s paintings: Celebrating Urdu poetry through fine arts

For the gallery’s curator, the work of Zuby is out of the ordinary.

KARACHI:

A pictorial representation of the poetic narrative of iconic Urdu poets like Mirza Ghalib, Ameer Khusro and Allama Iqbal was launched at the Majmua Art Gallery on Thursday.

The latest exhibition of Zebun Zuby’s paintings, dedicated to the rich world of Urdu poetry, will continue till July 20. The opening attracted a diverse crowd including poets and artists.“The appreciation of such work is only possible if one understands the poetic perception and poet’s expressive language,” said poet and critic, Prof. Sehar Ansari, who was the guest of honour at the event. “There can be a difference of opinion on how Zuby had interpreted the poetry but her effort to create a form and idiom cannot be denied.”

“In Zuby’s art, there is a touch of lyricism as well as the seriousness and agony of human existence, the two major traits of Urdu Poetry,” said Saifur Rahman Girami, the former vice president of the Arts Council.

For the gallery’s curator, Mehreen Ilahi, the work of Zuby is out of the ordinary. “Her paintings are not only a visual delight but a tribute to all the literature lovers,” she said. Zuby who is a disciple of renowned artist and sculptor Ozzir Zuby, is effectively attempting to carry the tradition of innovative and meaningful art forward, she added.

“The artist has reacted according to her own cultural responses and attempted to give a new visual meaning to a poet’s creativity and sensibility,” remarked attendee Tauseef Razi Mallick. “It is a fine attempt to cover the emotional gamut of Urdu poetry.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2012.