Art exhibition: Interpreting landscapes, literally and figuratively

Each artist has a distinct style, vision.

ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of landscapes by five artists opens today at Gallery6, according to a press release.

AQ Arif graduated from the Karachi School of Arts in 1996 and gained popularity for his surrealist landscapes. They are inspired by monumental architecture and are dreamy, visionary compositions that are often presented in mysterious moonlight or sunlight. His style is original and highly aesthetical with light, shade, reflection and refraction created on canvases.



He has held 14 solo exhibitions and participated in group shows in Hong Kong, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, UK and US.

Ghulam Mustafa was born in the walled city of Lahore. Many of his paintings reflect the architectural heritage of the area, depicting the thriving symbols of life in the rich cultural city. He masters in capturing with immense details the magnificence of the sunlight, its shadows and the shades it creates.

He received the National Prize in landscape painting at the 7th National Visual Arts Exhibition in 1996 and in 2002 he was awarded the Pride of Performance. He is the recipient of numerous honours both in Pakistan and abroad. He has held numerous solo and group shows in the last 24 years.

Kaleem Khan graduated from the National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore, in 1982 and spent most of his life in Quetta. His initial interest was in portraiture but he was later drawn to landscapes and became well-known for painting Balochistan.  Six paintings in the exhibition cover rugged mountains rich in colours and nomadic traditions.



Khan’s work has also been shown in Canada, China, Germany, India, Korea, Oman, UK and US. He is a recipient of the Pride of Performance Award in 2006.

Nazir Ahmed graduated from NCA in 1976 and remains inspired by Khalid Iqbal, famous art teacher and painter. Ahmed has command over oil paints, watercolours and ink and uses these with equal confidence and ease. His oil paintings are descriptive, drawing the viewer into the scene. Most of them are about the splendour of trees while other deals with life around a river.

Discussing his work, Ahmed said, “Nature fascinates me, as it is created by the Supreme Creator and I enjoy its glory, attempting to capture it on my canvas or paper. The enjoyment of perceiving and visually translating nature cannot be described in words. I feel I’m in another world during the process.” Ahmed has participated in more than 50 group shows and held 13 solo exhibitions. He received the Pride of Performance Award in 2013.



Zulfiqar Ali captures the gentle wind and light pouring through the mist or the winter sun. His sky is an indicator of time and season and figures prominently in his paintings.

The exhibition will continue till June 22 from 11am to 7pm, including Sundays.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2014.