The exhibit titled Safar (journey), featuring 26 paintings, opened on October 7, at Nomad’s F-6/1 outlet.
Awan’s solo exhibit depicts the journey of human society in social, political and personal realms. “I believe that artists are peaceful people, we do not fight wars, but if we do ‘fight’ it is in the form of the ideas and concepts we express through our work,” explains Awan.
Working with acrylics on paper, the artist gives the illusory feel of water colour and oil paints.
“We live in turbulent times and my aim is to use my creativity and art to promote and create awareness about basic human rights and to defend them across the gender divide,” Awan said while talking about his work. The artist’s thematic sensibility works well with the vision of Nageen Hayat who in her own right is a well known social activist.
Awan has been a member of Shanaakht (identity) -- a Nomad Forum for the arts. “He has created an identity for himself as an activist-artist,” comments Nageen Hayat, director and curator the Nomad Gallery.
“His search for identity is tangled with fine threads and murky paths creating hurdles while his focus remains on hope and clarity of the vision for a better world,” she adds.
Known for his harsher style of painting close to reality, Awan diversifies his approach to addressing such issues by depicting the message in a softer manner. “I realised that my paintings are going to become a part of someone’s home and I didn’t want them to be haunting. That’s why I used a plethora of colours to lighten the tragedies that the work carries within. They are decorative and yet carry a deep and strong message of the confusion faced by the people of my society,” he comments.
Painting is the language of the artist and art becomes a way of life just like any other language it depends on the writer to mould the words and make them into something meaningful and beautiful in the same way an artist chooses how to use the medium to make the world a better place, says Awan, who shows that beauty and meaningful messages can go hand in hand.
“In the process of self-discovery, I create my own world and painting is my language depicting my way of life. I am interested in expressing my creativity through different media and fields - fine art, decoration, film-making.”
The show continues till October 19.
Published in The Express Tribune ,October 14th, 2010.
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