Colours and meaning: New romantics on the block showcase their work

NCA grads depict personal interpretation of social interactions.

ISLAMABAD:

Work that captures the social interactions of the new generation in  a local setting opened for display at the Rohtas Gallery on Thursday.

Bright-eyed, ambitious and a little romantic, Rajab Ali Sayyad and Zahra Ehsan, are the artists behind the exhibition titled “New Romantic”.

Freshly graduated from National College of Arts Lahore, the duo has managed to depict their personal experiences with a certain tinge of maturity and complexity. Sayyad who is originally from Karachi showcases his “Neon Never Land” series. Set together in small but various sizes the youngster incorporates the divine and the worldly together. “I started this theme with my thesis work titled pretty young things, this is the new work I made taking inspiration from it. I’ve focused on the party life but with its intricacies sometimes even giving it romance,” he said.

The pieces placed together mainly depict youngsters in dark hues of blue, purple and black with a certain sensationalised feel.

For Sayyad he feels that as a 20 something living in the twenty first century things are experienced faster. Exploring the “Live Fast Die Young” lifestyle, Sayad paints indulgence and the push and pull between living in a moment and letting it go-- such as one particular piece that shows a girl in a party with a divine like light exuding from her but the light is actually a flash from a camera.

While his pieces remain predominantly small which speaks volumes for the artist’s hold over his skill of oil on canvas, his one large 6 by 3 shows much more emotion with a group of friends hanging out together on a bed. The ease with which the youngsters casually sit together listening to music or just simply sharing a moment is evident but subtly hints at the silent understanding and bond between them.

Ehsan who displayed her thesis work-- paints on large canvases with smooth brush strokes-- is also inspired by her personal experiences. The work focuses on the expectations of the society from females.

When faced with these same expectations the artist paints symbolic pieces rather than figurative ones. Utilising the space of the large canvas, Ehsan objectifies objects such as a cake, or a perfectly made home but paints a flip side next to image which is blurred and possibly imperfect according to societies expectations.

“Girls in our society are mostly conditioned to behave and act in a certain way, when I was personally faced with these expectations I wasn’t ready. The flowers I paint are my way of saying I’m not really ready yet,” informs Ehsan. Symbolising the kind of perfection a woman is expected to achieve with utmost precision and deliberation Ehsan paints a cake.

“My cake is a woman, any woman, longing for appreciation and validation, and demanding the attention she deserves for successfully constructing an immaculate exterior,” said the artist as she points towards her large canvas that has a cake painted onto it with its flip side right next to it.

Fariba Thomson, Art patron and wife of British High Commissioner was also present at the event. While talking to The Express Tribune, she expressed the importance of contemporary art in Pakistan.

“It’s impossible to exaggerate the importance on Pakistani contemporary art. I am so excited to be apart of it,” she said. Appreciating the young artists works she considered the work less romantic and more Baroque.

“It’s more along the lines of decay and destruction. I would love for you guys to travel and see figurative art around the world, you two have a bright future ahead of you,” she added while addressing the artists.

The exhibition continues till the 7th of March.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2013.