Art and culture: ‘True paintings show the past, present and the future’

23 miniature art pieces on display at Seeing! Etc Etc Etc.

LAHORE:

As many as 23 miniature art pieces are on display at the Seeing! Etc Etc Etc art exhibit by Shiblee Munir and Naureen Rasheed.

The exhibition is being held at the Taseer Art Gallery. It will conclude on November 6.

The work includes guoache and gold paper on wasli, mix medium on wasli and mixed media on C-type print.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Sanam Taseer, the curator of Taseer Art Gallery, said, “Noreen and Shiblee’s work depicts how our culture and history have degraded over time. They portray how contributions to our heritage have decreased.”

Rasheed said, “My work shows nostalgia for my early days as an artist. I have always been fascinated with basics of art.”

Rasheed said she was working on re-contextualisation through visual references.

“Whenever I see miniature paintings, I want to recreate them using my own imagination,” she said.

“I can’t recreate the art that we have lost, but I hope to add my contribution to the art today,” she added.



She said she had used historical sites as references for her work. She said she visited the sites and read books on art there before proceeding with her own versions.

Rasheed said her work was a combination of history of miniature art and her early days as an artist.

“I could say my current work is a discussion between my fantasies and the audience,” Rasheed said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Munir said his inspiration had come from his family background and his interest in history.

He said artists were often under pressure to create intricate patterns when they were recreating Mughal art.

He said he had focused on depicting the Mughal era society through art, not merely recreating Mughal art.

Munir said in his work, he had also questioned the preconceived notions about ancient societies.

“I have tried to portray history the way I see it,” Munir said.

He said a complete painting should reflect the past, the present and the future.

“Collaborating with Naureen was a wonderful experience,” he said.

“We wanted to create something unique. Hopefully we have done that.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2013.