Drawings that show the power of lines

ISLAMABAD: While many artists draw figures, landscapes and abstracts to find their own forte and perhaps depict their perspective, Arif Hussain Khokhar sticks to the very basics and draws lines instead. The exhibit at Nomad Gallery, which runs till September 30, is certainly one for the discerning eye.

Every piece the viewer sees is an intricate work on lines that are etched, drawn, or sketched. For the artist the “line” encompasses all art. “[A] line makes you see the drawing, the drawing makes you think of finding anything, which could be an object or a figure.”

Everything has its own form and shape, with the freehand drawings later coloured in to blur the line between drawing and painting, Khokhar said.

Indeed, his work may seem like amateur scribbling to the layman, but upon closer inspection, one realises the layers and dimensions embedded in the lines.

Using a wide range of mediums such as crayons, highlighters, ballpoint pens and graphite on paper, the artist chooses to stay true to the spirit of lines and remain unrestricted in every aspect.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2012.