Artistic renderings: Of never-ending cycles and nightmares

Two Pakistani artists showcase talents along with Belgian, South Korean counterparts.

KARACHI:

An art piece and its artist cannot be viewed separately because the feelings and emotions of the artist are shown in his artwork.

For first-time curator, SM Raza, this was the motive behind his recent exhibition of drawings, ‘Abstruse Imagery’, currently on display at ArtChowk Gallery.

Raza considered doing a group exhibition after his three-month artist-in-residence programme in South Korea. “The artists I met during my residency used styles similar to my colleagues in Karachi to render their drawings.” Thus, he chose to show works by two foreigners and two Pakistani artists in his exhibition composed of monochromatic graphite, pen, digital drawings and animation.

Raza claimed he was exposed to a new world of art in South Korea. “I went to all art museums as we don’t have many museums in Pakistan.” The local city government there not only supported the artists financially but also showcased their works in galleries. In Pakistam, he felt, funding for young artists is scarce and creative pursuits are perceived secondary as the general public is worried about their basic needs and is busy trying to make ends meet.



Art works

Belgian artist Monica Gallab uses her drawings and animation to reflect an existential characteristic with its display of daily mundane rituals. The theme of eternal recurrence is also explored in her drawings, which portray a disturbing aspect - a never-ending cycle.

South Korean artist Kim Yunseob has drawn about silence caused by the absence of nature. The faceless subjects in his drawing are losing their identity with the loss of nature. “A silent and static world is our future if we don’t do anything to preserve nature.”

The theme of nightmares is explored in the drawings of Anam Rafique, a Karachi University graduate. “This is about me. I think nightmares are unaccomplished dreams, and the reason we can’t accomplish our goals is because we complicate our lives.”

Rafique tries to draw her web of thoughts that complicates life. She shows the expressions of a person stuck in a nightmare. “With time, the memory of dreams, however, starts disintegrating.”

Shahan Zaidi works as a concept-artist. This is the first time he is showing his work in a gallery. “My work is about pain as it is the most powerful emotion.” Since pain connects human beings, Zaidi said, “In my work, there is a subtle effort to peel away layers of pain to reveal the core of human suffering.” The artist’s work is reminiscent of comic book characters.

Pakistan doesn’t have a booming comic book industry because of the lack of funding and the immense time and effort required to do such work, said Zaidi, who is also working with the character-development team of Burqa Avenger, Pakistan’s first superhero concept. “The biggest dilemma in life is having to do commercial work to make a living, while what you really want to do is done on the side.”

The director of ArtChowk, Shakira Masood, said the gallery was promoting young artists by showcasing their work. The society’s mindset about art as a luxury needs to be changed. The public needs exposure to art, theatre and bookstores. “Culturally-trained eye and contemplative mind is the result of appreciation and exposure to all sorts of creative works.”

The ‘Abstruse Imagery’ exhibition will continue till August 30 at ArtChowk gallery.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2013.