Art attack: Pakistani art showcased in Tehran exhibition

Italian gallery helped the artist take her work to Iran.

LAHORE:

Three works of art by Pakistani artist Momina Muhammad are being exhibited at the Iran Art Collect. The exhibition opens at Qasr Museum in Tehran on Thursday (today) and continues until June 29.

The event provides enthusiasts with the opportunity of procuring works of artists from a number of countries. The exhibition displays work from Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Peru, Russia, Switzerland and Turkey.

Momina is among 100 artists whose works will be on display. Momina will be representing Pakistan under the auspices of an Italian art gallery, Barabara Frigerio Art Gallery, as no Pakistani gallery was able to make it to the exhibit.

Barbara Frigerio, the owner of the gallery displaying Momina’s sculptures, said: “We show a selection of painters, some close to the ancient art tradition, and some more related to contemporary themes and technique. The work of Momina Muhammad can easily be included, as it is a combination of contemporary and traditional elements.” In her three painted bone sculptures that will be displayed, Momina has used the pure Mughal miniature technique on bone; which is traditionally done on wasli by a handmade squirrel-hair brush using gouache paint prepared in sea shells.



Momina Muhammad said, “My work at Iran Art Collect talks about the simultaneous presence or the subtle cognition of two opposite realities. The nature of my medium, bone, is lifeless, still and sterile but the aspect of foliage combined with the common notion of green being symbolic of life and hope will captivate the attention of the viewers and the colorful composed strokes of brush add a motion to it as the viewer’s eye moves around it forgetting what the nature of the piece itself is. My motive is to shine the light on the positive elements of hope rather than highlighting negativity.

Momina said her work was influenced by the psychological theory of cognitive dissonance in its formative stages. “During my miniature practice at the NCA, I keenly observed this fascinating subtle cognition in the classical miniature paintings where a very cruel and harsh subject was painted in a beautifully fine manner,” Momina said.

She said her primary motive was to accentuate positive elements of hope and understate cynicism. Therefore, her collection had been titled ‘It is still green on my land’.

Momina said she had to surmount a variety of social and cultural challenges to pursue art on a professional basis.

Born in 1990, Momina resides in Lahore where she works as a miniature painter and a freelance artist. She graduated from the NCA with honours. Momina majored in Art History and also studied oil painting, print making, sculpture and photography. She excelled in academics and was awarded scholarships throughout her studies.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2014.