Group art show: Marking their debut with diverse portfolios

An exhibition showcasing works of four new artists inaugurated.

ISLAMABAD:

Diversity seems to be the buzzword when it comes to describing an exhibition featuring the artworks of four young artists that opened at the Jharoka Art Gallery on Wednesday. What the newbie artists may lack in practical experience or depth of expression, they make up for with their contagious enthusiasm at their first-ever show.

The artists have trained under the contemporary painter and sculptor Ahmad Habib in his studio and gallery Tasweer Khana in the capital.

“I’m extremely proud of my students who are officially launching their artistic careers following about three years of rigorous practice at my studio. All of them have employed different themes, techniques, palettes and ideas,” he commented at the gallery that was packed with guests including art enthusiasts and established art exponents such as Mansur Rahi and his wife Hajra Mansur, Riffat Khattak and Najamul Hassan Kazmi.

Clouds are pivotal to Fatima Yousaf’s portfolio. Whether it is fuzzy abstract details painted in red or a broken ladder ascending to the skies, there are wisps of fluffy nebulae that represent a source of endless hope for the artist.

“The clouds are metaphoric of a state of mind, where you are constantly trying to grab on to something which is beyond reach yet you never lose faith,” she said. Women’s silhouettes also appear in the series, merged with a plethora of other symbols. Yousaf has painted with brush, using knife-work to define subtleties.

Makhtoom Fatima’s highly-textured paintings of boats are symbol of a soul search and building a connection with one’s surroundings. Fatima, who has majored in Fine Arts from University of the Punjab, draws inspiration from post-impressionist painter Van Gogh. “I’m particularly influenced by his choice of brilliant colours and their compositions since they are surrealistic,” she said.

Meanwhile, Farzana Rashid aspires to rekindle a love for beauty in the wilderness and rustic life, the purity and serenity of the countryside, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of an urban lifestyle. Originally from Gujrat, Rashid has lived all over the country but still reminisces the time spent back in the village. Painted in gentle colours, the scenes are reminiscent of the simplistic wooden doors, hand pumps, water streams and providence.

Numaira Khan is en route to self-discovery. Delving into the soulful poetry of Rumi, her canvases are about self-exploration and she complements them with her lyrical wordplay juxtaposed with visuals. The female figurative form is accentuated by intangible concepts such as the transitions of life, longing or a beloved and travelling to reach somewhere.

“Through the process of drawing lines, adding colours and shadows on my canvas till the final stroke, I keep discovering myself. Every time I paint, I connect with a piece within me that I never knew existed. All of my paintings contain small miraculous moments of recreating myself,” she said.

Nahida Raza, the gallery curator, complimented the young artists, dubbing them an exciting addition to the art scene of the capital. The exhibition that was inaugurated by the Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Inomata will continue till May 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2014.