The opposite sex: Art inspired by gender perceptions goes on display

The show features 14 paintings by four artists.

LAHORE:

An exhibition inspired by varying perceptions of gender started on Thursday at the Alhamra Art Gallery.

The exhibition features 14 paintings by Ahmer Farooq, Saad Ahmed, Usman Ahmed and Zahrah Ehsan. It is titled Resolving the Two Rights.  Speaking to The Express Tribune, Farooq said his painting Adam, Eve and in Between portrayed gender perceptions.

He said he believed that people should not be categorised according to gender. Farooq said he could not relate to gender-based discrimination. He said this was the reason behind his eclectic body of work.  Farooq said his work depicted his belief in emphasising the bigger picture rather than concentrating on specifics as everyone was human at the end of the day. He said he had contributed three paintings to the exhibition. Farooq said they had been made using mixed media.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Ahmed said the word ‘woman’ evoked different feelings  in different people. He said the word could be used positively, negatively, sympathetically, reverently or apathetically. Ahmed said people were susceptible to holding preconceived images. He said images were inextricably connected with words. Ahmed said he had contributed four paintings to the exhibition. He said they had been made using Aquatint on paper.

Ahmed said he derived inspiration from paintings. He said the whole process of conceiving an idea and executing  it captivated him. Ahmed said inspiration could be derived from peculiar sources such as situations, people and bizarre objects.  He said he loved to experiment. Ahmed said unlike other artists, he had not created a niche for himself consciously as he did not want to be restricted to a particular style or medium.  He said the world was too large to be viewed through one lens.

Ehsan said her paintings at the exhibition depicted gender perceptions. She said they dealt with how opposite sexes perceived the other. Zahrah said she had observed that the way a person gets looked at or is attired defines gender. She said her work was not restricted to commenting on societal conditioning. Zahrah said her work emphasised embracing them by using vivid colours to attract viewers.

Anam Lasharie, the exhibition’s curator, said it was a commendable effort by the four artists to shed light on gender perceptions and how they condition people. She said societal conditioning had the potential to inhibit individuality. Lasharie said people should strive to create harmony between genders by being self-aware and considerate. She said they should be aware of pre-conceived notions associated with gender.

The exhibition will conclude on Friday (today).

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