Soul Searchers – a group show of paintings by Ahmed Ali Manganhar, Imran Channa and Aqeel Solangi was put on display here Monday in a press preview. As many as 15 series of works have been displayed by the artists in mediums like Graphite on Paper, Acrylics on Board, Acrylic, Charcoal and Graphite on Paper and Acrylics on Canvas. Aqeel Solangi’s work deal with ancient beliefs, rituals and collective wisdom as the threads connected to human existence everywhere on the globe. “Most of the contemporary art practices find their roots within these human sensibilities. I address these visual and conceptual concerns in my work,” Aqeel said about the work. “I create locations which might not relate to the physical world and take elements from actual location and transform them in another location. In this way each work opens new pictorial episode in my portfolio,” he said. The “Memories” series of Imran Channa explores that photograph is the most perfect picture of the past. It is a record of reality and a way of informing as a very reliable object from history. “My work deals with the historical perspectives, questioning the authenticity of the history which is manipulated and constructed by the power,” Imran said. The body of work is based on visual investigation, by questioning the authenticity of historical records. The display of large graphite drawings are a deliberate act of making and erasing records from history, until it becomes emerge into single plan by compressing time and motion. The distinction between objects and time are blurred which draw the attention to capture the feelings of vanishing of history.
