‘Lost’ leadership depicted through art

Aqib Sharif displays his painting at the Nairang Art Gallery, depicting the ‘lost’ leadership.

LAHORE: A blend of body movements and symbolic titles depicted the ‘lost’ leadership, beauty of the walled city and the stressful situations faced by a common man in Pakistan, when Aqib Sharif displayed his painting at the Nairang Art Gallery on Tuesday.

Simple yet intelligent topics, imagery and colours make the exhibition a delight. Revolving around peace, culture of the walled city and leadership, the oil and acrylic paintings proved to be the best choice for the artist to emblematically present the themes.

Sharif explains, “This work is a depiction of the sufferings and the problems of the people today.

I have also tried to convey a feeling of sadness by using bold and dark colors.”

Sharif said that he has tried to show that peace was the topic of social discussions. “I have conveyed the message through various movements of the human body and animals,” he said. The game of polo has also been used to highlight the concept of leadership. One painting titled, ‘Leading without a rider,’ shows horses in the middle of a polo match, without players.

The title of each painting explains the artist’s intentions and the present situation in the country. “I wanted to preserve the beauty of the society, while also highlighting social evils at the same time,” Sharif added. The paintings are on display till November 5.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2010.