‘Way back home:’Artists add a touch of modernity to traditional miniature art
The work of nine eminent painters is on display at Unicorn Gallery till April 5.
The two paintings are from the series ‘Figure Me Out’ by Minza Zulfiqar. PHOTO COURTESY: UNICORN ART GALLERY
KARACHI:
The work of nine miniature artists, including Farina Alam, Mizna Zulfiqar and Sophia Mairaj, has been put up at an exhibition, ‘Way back home’, which opened at Unicorn Gallery on March 29.
The curator, Soraya Sikandar explained that the artists had taken between three to eight months to put the paintings together. “Early miniature paintings used to focus on Mughal art,” she said. “Some of these paintings, particularly those made by Maryam Khursheed, try to combine contemporary reality with that early history.”
In Khursheed’s work, you find very strong references to classical Bollywood heroines, such as Rekha and Madhubala as well, she added.
She spoke about how each brush stroke in every painting had been calculated to give a certain effect. “Some of the artists have used fabrics and text in addition to paint to give layers of meaning to each piece.”
Aisha Rahim’s work spoke about the “physical transformation that occurs to a woman’s body during the entire process of pregnancy”. She had tried to capture the psychological and physical suffering that women experience during this period on canvas. Another artist, Babar Mughal, who felt that “naming things took away the magical qualities they possessed”, had painted “everyday objects placed in alien settings to study magical realism”.
Farina Alam’s work, which consisted of a number of abstract patterns, had been inspired by the patterns used in traditional Pakistani wedding dresses. “The detail with which she has sketched every piece is surprising if you consider the fact that she lives in UK,” said Sikandar. The exhibition continues till April 5.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2013.
The work of nine miniature artists, including Farina Alam, Mizna Zulfiqar and Sophia Mairaj, has been put up at an exhibition, ‘Way back home’, which opened at Unicorn Gallery on March 29.
The curator, Soraya Sikandar explained that the artists had taken between three to eight months to put the paintings together. “Early miniature paintings used to focus on Mughal art,” she said. “Some of these paintings, particularly those made by Maryam Khursheed, try to combine contemporary reality with that early history.”
In Khursheed’s work, you find very strong references to classical Bollywood heroines, such as Rekha and Madhubala as well, she added.
She spoke about how each brush stroke in every painting had been calculated to give a certain effect. “Some of the artists have used fabrics and text in addition to paint to give layers of meaning to each piece.”
Aisha Rahim’s work spoke about the “physical transformation that occurs to a woman’s body during the entire process of pregnancy”. She had tried to capture the psychological and physical suffering that women experience during this period on canvas. Another artist, Babar Mughal, who felt that “naming things took away the magical qualities they possessed”, had painted “everyday objects placed in alien settings to study magical realism”.
Farina Alam’s work, which consisted of a number of abstract patterns, had been inspired by the patterns used in traditional Pakistani wedding dresses. “The detail with which she has sketched every piece is surprising if you consider the fact that she lives in UK,” said Sikandar. The exhibition continues till April 5.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2013.