Group exhibition: In the realm of miniature art

Alumni and students of NCA showcase their work.

ISLAMABAD:

In a reunion of sorts, alumni and students of National College of the Arts (NCA), Rawalpindi, gathered to showcase their first ever miniature art show on Friday. Titled “The Creative Marque”, the show featured a plethora of art pieces from sketches, to paintings, to cardboard installations.

As many as 24 artists exhibited their work, lending insight into the various inspirations and experiences therein. “The works are centred on questions about identity and self, culture and religion and beautifully positioned between both eastern and western aesthetic considerations and value systems,” NCA Rawalpindi Director Nadeem Omar Tarar said.

The expansive gallery buzzed with energy as old friends caught up; juggling bulky cameras, striking quirky poses for photos and talking excitedly about their work.

Zohra Nasir, a fourth-year student, has dissected the complexities of love. She has toyed with the mythological tale of Krishna and Radha, using the Mughal gadrang technique.

“I have merged contemporary miniatures with traditional Mughal art,” she said. The painting shows Krishna chasing a demure Radha — a direct comment on the much-married Krishna — with an apple in the backdrop. “The apple signifies the forbidden fruit. You see, love can have various interpretations,” Nasir added.

Maimoona Riaz, an alumni, explained the cryptic details of her work involving bees. Titled “Knowing is a curse”, her work deals with invasion of privacy. “My work is architectural as I believe all ideas cannot be conveyed in a two-dimensional setting. Also, there are layers of painting among other such.

The main idea is to explore how your family, friends and even your own self invade your space,” she said. Her two-piece display is derived from her poem “Knowing is a curse.”

“There appears to be an ongoing and overriding interest in sociopolitical concerns in many of the works,” said Nadia Rahat, the gallery curator. She added that besides showcasing the work of the alumni, the exhibition was also an effort at reviving the gallery. The exhibition will continue till June 13.

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