Funky and traditional: Exclusive digital prints on display from tomorrow

Zara Sajid’s work is part of her thesis at National College of Arts.

ISLAMABAD:

An exhibition showcasing digital lawn prints by the young and enterprising textile designer, Zara Sajid, opens at My Art World Gallery on Friday.

The collection comprises both traditional and modern digital printing techniques with linear contemporary designs such as the Hamsa, a symbol for Bibi Fatima’s (RA) hand, gramophone and birds at sunset imagery. The Hamsa has an eye at its core and intricate detailing of fish patterns within the outline. The collection comprises six unique designs with 10 copies of each.

“Quite often digital prints use extensive detailing such as Mughal-esque paintings but they can also be simple. Digital art need not be crowded,” said Sajid, who has graduated from the National College of Arts in Lahore.

The current display featuring wearable art pieces is derived from printing techniques that the designer used during her thesis and is a further experimentation of various fabrics, dyes, embroidery techniques and digital printing resulting in the multilayered art pieces.



The motifs started out as drawings by the artist, which she later on, digitised. Inspired by symbols that she finds in the art of visual artists around her, Sajid has come out with her own designs and used them in an edgy, funky way.

“I feel that the symbols around us are not only merely objects but things that can adorn or drape a woman in a conventional or experimental way,” she said.

However, she does realise that they do cater to a niche since they are limited editions. “There are just a few copies of each print which keeps the exclusivity intact which is what I, as a  designer, am focusing on and not making it into a uniform that one sees everyone wearing.

Each design is an art piece that only a few will be wearing and using as their canvas however they like,” she added.

All the fabric on sale is unstitched, thus, giving the client the liberty to tailor it according to their own taste rather than imposing a certain style on them. The fabric can be draped in different ways in contrast to the signature cuts that women in Pakistan prefer.

“The prints are different from what one normally sees and that’s what I love about them. The patterns are unique and I also love the fact that they are limited editions,” said Zainab Omar, the gallery owner.



Meanwhile, classical dancer and model Amna Mawaz Khan, said, “Finally, lawn with something other than ‘phool bootiyan.’ Such fun prints!”

Sajid has previously exhibited at the Taseer Art Gallery and My Art World as a textile and mix media artist. The current exhibition is from 5pm to 9pm at the gallery, House 5-A, Aga Khan Road, Sector F-6/3.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2014.