Anniversary celebrations: Celebrating three-decade journey of progressive art

Rohtas Gallery exhibit brings out art lovers from all over Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD:

In a country with continual turmoil, resilience for the better sometimes begins with a small tiny step. When Naeem Pasha first sat down to discuss the idea of a small art gallery in front of his office with Salima Hashmi during the Ziaul Haq regime, they were probably unaware of the fact that their gallery would go on to become one of the most prominent galleries in Pakistan.

Celebrating 30 years since Rohtas Art Gallery opened, the owners of the gallery decided to showcase works of now-famous artists who took their first steps at the gallery. Showcasing almost 65 artists, the PNCA galleries were filled with visitors, from art students and professional artists, to diplomats and art lovers on Monday.

Brazilian Ambassador Alfredo Leoni was invited to inaugurate the event along with Naeem Pasha, Salima Hashmi and curator Quddus Mirza. Speaking before the official inauguration Leoni congratulated the founders of the gallery and informed the audience that the need to promote art is a joint effort. “In Brazil, the state and society work together to promote art. It’s a joint endeavour that flourishes with time,” he stated.

Coming to the artwork, the exhibition was broken down into three spaces, the first gallery consisted of contemporary work, which moved on towards installations that seemed to be a favourite for attendees, and finally the last gallery that concentrated more on the human body and figures. As people milled around viewing the works, a few pieces stood out.

Adeela Suleman’s steel sculpture “Falling down” left many staring with awe at the large abstract piece with large bird-like wings. Farida Batool’s Lenticular print works were also refreshing to look at as she worked with different dimensions that played eye tricks on the viewer. Her piece “Qadam Qadam Azaad” had a group of little children playing in a rubber tub. Viewing it from one side, the piece felt as if the children were barricaded with a bamboo fence, but from the other angle, the bamboo fence became open spaces with one pillar to the side.

Moving away from installations, the contemporary artwork also seemed an interesting mesh, as Amin Rehman used four slates of encaustic wax on board to create four messages in English that had different meanings, depending on if they were viewed together or separately. The gallery, that concentrated on the human figure, left some unimpressed though. “Some of the works are already in art galleries. I think artists should have worked on fresh ideas that ran with the theme of the exhibition,” said Mehmoona Riaz, who works at Satrang Gallery.

The exhibition will continue till October 24 and is a must visit for the art lovers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2012.