This art exhibition celebrates the diversity of Pakistan

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This art exhibition celebrates the diversity of Pakistan

The ‘Takht Bhai to Potohar’ exhibition aims to illustrate the historical, religious and cultural diversity of Pakistan

A 20-day ‘Takht Bhai to Potohar’ exhibition was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) as part of a series of regional exhibitions aimed to illustrate the historical, religious and cultural diversity of Pakistan.

The curator of the exhibition, PNCA Director General Jamal Shah has collaborated with several prominent and prolific artists for the show. The inspiration for the exhibit is the works of Mansoor Rahi, who also served as chief guest at the inauguration.

The works of 109 artists have been displayed in the show including Elahi Baksh Mattee, Azeem Iqbal, Tayyaba Aziz, Aqeel Solangi, Ahmed Habib, Tariq Kakkar, Babar Khalid, Abbas Shah, Abdur Razzaq Razi, Nigar Nazar and Sana Arjumand and all the artworks show regional landscapes. The variety of designs and methods include painting, calligraphy, sculpture, photography and miniature.

The works by Hajra Manoor include subtle paintings titled ‘Persian Queen I’ and Persian Queen II’ which portray the extravagant style, poise and dreams of a Persian queen.

The painting of her husband, Mansoor Rahi, is next to hers and is titled ‘King’ which demonstrate a bold form of a male figure in a cubical form.

Sana Arjumand’s ‘En Route Paradise’ is an oil painting with neon effects in which a setting of vibrant colours surrounds bright pink flamingos with a bright yellow sky and floral shrubbery. The myriad of colours and textures brings elegance and simplicity to a spring landscape.

Zahidul Haq’s ‘Kalash’ is a painting of the features of a woman positioned against a blend of floral arrangements.

With a simple design and a resounding political message, Jugni Chaudhry’s rendition of the Pakistan government displays a clown seated as either the president or prime minister of the country with the Quaid watching over him.

“The idea was to give a context to artists and not restrict their expressions so they may incorporate the most enviable philosophy of this land and present the cultural visual vocabulary of Pakistan,” Jamal Shah said at the inauguration event.

Jamal Shah has sought contributions from various renowned and new, emerging artists. The show is creative and thought provoking.

The show extends from one gallery to another and makes for a visually pleasing display.

 

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The four-person art show opens up at Canvas Art Gallery and displays different interpretations for a similar theme

Tawdry by Heraa Khan


A four-person show titled Figuratively speaking opened at the Canvas Art Gallery on Tuesday. As is the usual practice, there is a theme to the exhibition and, at the same time, the participating artists’ works can be interpreted individually. After all, each artist has a distinct expression.

Veera Rustomji impresses with her examination of filial bonds and their associations in diverse cultural milieus. She puts pictures of people in groups and sets them in a situation which instantly raises questions in the viewer’s mind, because the viewer becomes interested in both history and culture of the protagonists. It is not easy. Veera gives a big clue in the exhibit ‘Does the white space make you feel uncomfortable?’ (oil on canvas) by letting the viewer know that the faces of her characters, not to mention some of their places, will not be given away readily. Whoever is watching them should connect the dots themselves. To each, his own.

An artwork by Veera Rustomji


Similarly, Heraa Khan explores a certain (privileged) segment of society’s disconnect from the rest of the lot (not-so-privileged ones). The technical route that she opts for is quite different. Her piece ‘Tawdry’ (gold lead and gouache on wasli paper) is a nice example of it. There is a fair degree of craft involved in her work, which indicates her fondness for miniature art.

Missing since by Syed Hussain and untitled iron work Umar Nawaz


Syed Hussain, as his statement suggests, belongs to the Hazaras of Pakistan who have faced a great deal of difficulties. The artist poses, and responds to, the question of identity by using his family’s old documents to revisit their stories. He uses the word ‘decode’ instead of revisit, which is layered with meaning, as is his artworks.

Umar Nawaz’s untitled iron work plays with the idea of content in relation to form (or is it the other way round?). It is an interesting effort since it also tries to engage the viewer in analysing how the eye perceives or can perceive a single object in multiple ways.