Visual treat Artists’: Association of Punjab annual exhibition opens at Alhamra

For artist Saira Dar, Portrait of a Demagogue represents the long march led by Canadian-Pakistani cleric, Tahirul Qadri. “It was marred by hypocrisy and duplicity,” she says.

“It really is a portrait of a demagogue… the seven on the dice now reminds me of his seven-point agenda…the one on it is a reminder of the level of hypocrisy,” Dar said.

Dar is displaying two pieces at the 27th Annual Exhibition of Paintings, Sculptures and Graphic Arts at the Alhamra gallery.

Her work is not for sale and was highly praised for its figurative essence by artists, scholars and curators at the event on Tuesday.

The selection committee comprised of the principle of the Punjab University Art and Design School, Dr Rahat Naveed Masud, Quddus Mirza, Shahid Jalal and Maliha Azami Agha.

Quddus Mirza, said nearly 300 pieces had been sent but only 135 were on display.



Mirza said most of the paintings were landscapes and portraits. We had to select only the best for display, he said.

Mirza’s piece titled A Love Letter Undercover made use of a chair and an umbrella as symbols of protection and power.

“I have worked this over and over the past 10 years, hence so many layers of perception,” he said.

Mohsin Shafi, a 2012 NCA graduate, has sent in a mammoth photographic montage titled some of my pretty things.

“It is a comment on reminiscing… in a political light,” he said.

The montage, comprising of more than 70 pictures, included pictures of things belonging to Shafi’s mother and his favorite books, shoes and records.

“I sent this because it says out loud who I am,” said the 28-year-old artist.

A self portrait by Rahat Naveed Masud had map of Pakistan patched with barbed-wire patched with a barb-wired while Masud wears a crown of flowers and fruits.

“This makes a political statement about where I am and where I would like to see this place to get to,” she said.

Governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood was the chief guest at the exhibition.

The exhibition will continue for another week.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2013.