Painting conversations: With a whisper and a swish - displaying themes of social interaction

Group exhibition depicts multi-faceted social observations, floor open to interpretations.

A vital part of an artist’s thinking process is the ability to discern meaning in the objects and subjects which surround us. For creating art, then, it becomes a necessary prerequisite for artists to find poetry in the ways one’s surroundings converse with them.    

An exhibition showcasing the artworks of three young artists Scherzade Junejo, Dua Abbas Rizvi and Rajab Ali Sayed achieves the aforementioned by depicting the underlying theme of social interaction. Titled “Echoes of Polarity”, the exhibition featuring recent works by the artists is on display at the My Art World gallery, said a press release.

The concept of the exhibition emerged from the bond that the artists shared, all of whom have graduated from the National College of the Arts (NCA), Lahore.

Although the pieces stand out in their individual ways, the analytical underpinnings follow a theme.



Sayed’s canvases explore both ends of his artistic concerns. Concepts such as social space and activity can be detected in pieces like “Blue Velvet”, isolation and solitude in pieces like “Tactile Experiences”.

“My paintings are odes to my generation, the times that I’m living in, the fantasy and romance that I aspire to and the realisation of mortality,” said Sayed. Born to a Filipino mother and a Pakistani father, most of his childhood was spent in Manila. He graduated with a distinction in fine art last year.

Junejo describes her figurative work as in-depth social observations which highlight the inner layer. The body is stripped of its clothing and hair- where it is perfect and is made to seem extraordinary using an otherwise ordinary subject- flesh in its rawest form, waiting to be judged without its layers.

Instead of a black-and-white viewing, the exhibition can be seen from various perspectives; through the symmetry of the characters, through the juxtaposition of animate with inanimate objects, or through the conversation emanating between the figures, giving them a bi-polar quality.

Rizvi’s work explores women’s roles in myths and folklore. It can be seen as an expression of vague disgruntlement at how perfunctory these roles have become over time.

The systematic truncation of feminine roles has been even more drastic in our iconoclastic culture and religion. This has made Rizvi look to the past even more, in search of plausible settings for her protagonists.

“The female protagonists of my paintings float through eras and ideas, pausing here and there to catch their breaths and steady themselves, but they are forever dreaming,” she said.

Rizvi is a visual artist and writer based in Lahore. She graduated in 2009 with a distinction in painting, and was awarded the Shakir Ali Award and Sir Percy Brown Prize for excellence in Fine Art and History of Art.

Trained also in sculpture, printmaking and photography, her work has been exhibited across the country, and in group shows in Dubai and India. She currently teaches at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.

“I’m happy to know that Pakistani contemporary art is catching up and that people trust in new artists and want to put their work up instead of having the established names, and I’m happy that art collectors are buying art for the sake of art,” said Zara Sajid, the gallery curator.

The exhibition which was inaugurated by the renowned art critic, Lavinia Fillipi, will continue until February 12 at House 27-A, Street 18, F-7/2.

Correction: The story erroneously spelt the 'My Art World' as 'Me Art World'. The error is regretted and has been fixed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2014.