Expressing one’s self: ‘Inward journey’ opens at Tanzara Gallery

Acclaimed sculptor and ceramist exhibits work in capital after decades

ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of sculptures, art reliefs and drawings opened up at Tanzara Gallery on Thursday. Titled “The Inward Journey”, the exhibition features artworks by the acclaimed sculptor and ceramist Talat Dabir, who is exhibiting her work in the capital after about two decades.

The current exhibition features her most recent “boat series” as well as some pieces from previous collections.  The new body of work appears to be a cautious meditation on human survival, originating from a visual discourse with catastrophic experiences that can strip humanity of its spirit and soul.



For Dabir, creating art is a form of catharsis. “After a busy day of tending to stresses of daily life, I go down to my studio and let myself go. For me, it is a spontaneous act rather than a calculated one. My aim is usually to create something that is pleasing to the eye,” said the artist about her work.

She added that she has tried to inculcate natural phenomenon in her artwork. Besides human figures, birds, wind, marine life and water feature regularly in her work. “The entire ethos of my artwork is subtlety and beauty. I am basically a sculptor, but in this exhibition, I have also displayed my skills as a miniaturist and an expressionist,” she added. Her work is romantic and the essence of the art is calming.

Clay, a flexible medium, allows her to explore unconscious, free association ranging from amorphous to more clearly recognisable forms. Her subject, the human form, is one of the most traditional in art history, but she subverts the inherited clichés associated with the genre, redefining what sculpture should or should not be like. With their earthy and unfinished look, they unveil a tension between thought and process, while creating a distinctive, new sculptural mode.



Her fine pen and ink drawings have a minimalist and miniature-like quality about them.

Spanning four decades, Dabir’s art practice puts forth a revitalisation of the human form in sculpture — through a vigilant investigation of the body, encompassing both its physical and spiritual facets.

The artist has won several awards and honours, and has represented the country in the third International Ceramic Biennial in Cairo in 1996. She also received a gold medal and the first prize at the National Exhibition in Islamabad in 1995 and won the first prize in sculpture and ceramics at Artists Association of Punjab. She has exhibited her work abroad and at home.

“Dabir is an artist of eminent stature who needs no introduction. In a still rapidly expanding art world, she holds key position as one of the most celebrated and creative sculptors and ceramists from Pakistan,” said Noshi Qadir, the gallery curator and a former student of Dabir at the National College of the Arts in Lahore.

The current exhibition will continue at the gallery, from 11:30am to 7pm daily till November 13 except Sunday. The exhibition can also be viewed online at the gallery’s website.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2014.