Art exhibition: Exploring the unconventional

NCA graduates display theses at Rohtas Gallery.

ISLAMABAD: There is more to art than portraying an idea on canvas, according to Samra Salim who is among 12 emerging artists displaying their work at the Rohtas Gallery on Monday.

The artworks of graduates from the National College of the Arts, Rawalpindi, belong to their theses and portray a myriad of themes in mixed media.

“Your work should reflect what kindles you,” said Salim, who makes a bold statement with a painting depicting the agony of a woman who is unable to conceive, while putting up with social pressure. “I never thought my work would be this feminist,” said the artist who is mindful of the fact that controversial content involving nudity does not appear on media or public exhibitions.

Using oil, charcoal and lead on canvas, Salim distorted the organs, the chords are in disarray while the womb stays intact.  The artist feels that the taboo subject should be highlighted even if only in the realm of art.

Another featured artist and the gallery curator, Zohra Nasir’s miniature paintings delve into the societal pressures that come with emulating perfection. The shiny red stiletto in a woman’s foot depicts the temptation to wear it and her imbalanced posture betrays the feeling of discomfort – the price she is paying to please someone else or even satiate her own materialistic desire. To illustrate the idea in more tangible terms, a shimmering red stiletto studded with prickly common pins sits beneath the painting.

Rushda Ayub, a guest who purchased Nasir’s painting at the exhibition, said, “I like the painting for the colours and the details and also because it has a story behind it. For me, art is valuable only when it has some meaning.”

An abstract by Huma Arshad explores self-discovery on a creative journey. “Instead of dictating to the viewer, I want them to have their own perception of my work,” said the young artist has also showcased her work at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC recently.

The pastels-on-wood in black and dull gold came to be as the artist started painting on a blank surface. “I didn’t consciously think about what I was making,” she added. The convoluted painting explores the artist’s own issues.

Meanwhile, intricate sketches by Najam Akbar spread out on a wall, challenge stereotypical images as well as offering the artist’s take on inevitable realities. Emanating a comic-book feel owing to the controlled lines, the sketches strike one as boldly eclectic.

“The identity of each piece is different but there is a story that the viewer will weave on their own by looking at them individually,” said the artist who has sketched seemingly unrelated symbols with a mechanical pencil.

The other featured artists are Anum Zahid, Quratulain, Sidra Ahtisham, Aniqa Haider, Zainab Husan, Iqra Tahir, Mervina Naeem, Sidra Ali and Qudsia Jabeen.

The show will continue until March 3 from 11am to 7pm except Sunday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2014.