Hajoom opens at Rohtas 2
The exhibition is “a cautious meditation on human survival, originating from a visual discourse with so-called ‘natural’ calamites mighty enough to deprive humanity even of its spirit and soul,” said Usman Saeed, a former student and now colleague of Dabir’s at the NCA.
The prices of the pieces on display ranged between Rs 15,000 and Rs 75,000. The show will remain open till October 16.
Saeed said Dabir had inspired many students with her work and style. The artist’s four decades of work “revitalise the human form in sculpture through a vigilant investigation of the body, encompassing both its ‘physical’ and ‘spiritual’ accounts,” he said.
He said Dabir’s sculptures successfully captured “the human condition constituting its inception, endeavour and transcendence”.
He described her terracotta work as “an alchemy of sorts, revealing the venerable and endearing qualities of the material”.
“Making the work elicit a visceral response from the viewers, the clay, in turn, becomes a contemplative place inhabiting sensations of consciousness, perception and memory. The armatures of the places that Talat Dabir’s work invites us to deconstruct are crafted from a wealth of consistent influences nature, historical events and architectural feats all pivotal to the fabric of human evolution since the beginning of time,” Saeed said.
Dabir did her bachelors in fine arts from NCA in 1969. Her last solo exhibition was held at Nairang Art Gallery in 2008.
She has won several awards and honours: she represented Pakistan at the 3rd International Ceramic Biennale in Cairo in 1996; won gold medal and first prize at National Exhibition in Islamabad in 1994; and has won the Artists Association of Punjab first prize in sculpture and ceramics.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2010.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ