There are not many artists in Pakistan that are referred to in general parlance as “greats”. Most art shows nowadays, then, end up featuring one or, at most, two such crowd-pullers in each exhibition. But in ‘Celebrating Seven’, Islamabad’s Rohtas Gallery has brought together work from a line-up of several contemporary greats. QuddusMirza and SalimaHashmi lead this stellar cast, which also includes, NadyaHussain, Alia Bilgrami, Anwar Saeed, Afshar Malik and Naiza Khan. Khan’s magnificent screen print titled The Scattering II, is one of the most appreciated pieces at the show.
Mirza, a celebrated artist, critic and writer, is showing a piece titled ‘Lost in Tradition’, a striking creation on mixed medium. Blending details from maps and geography with elegant yet joyous flourishes of colour, he delivers an unorthodox and striking experience that stands out as soon as one enters the display space.
These are flanked by two of Afshar Malik’s pieces, titled ‘If Not But Me’ and ‘Invisible Air Walls’. The former depicts a friendly scene, but leaves one with a dark foreboding of what may be. The Ink and Wash method used by the artist creates texture and lends a three-dimensional quality to the piece. The latter piece is a melancholy exploration of parallel planes of existence, or of many existences in one. Both works are quite thought-provoking and leave a lasting impression on the viewer.
SalimaHashmi’s works, ‘Song Begins Elsewhere I and II’, are characteristic of her signature style; bespoke but traditional. Using an array of materials, such as water colour, gold leaf, pigments and acrylic on tea-washed paper, both pieces capture children at play.
Solar plate etching is a novel technique that Alia Bilgrami uses in her work, which merges printmaking with photography and photo emulsion. The artist’s most striking work is a 70” x 16” quartet entitled ‘Left Behind’. According to the artist, the technique involves ‘developing’ film in a darkroom. The effect created is that of a hauntedconstruction site.
NadyaHussain, a graduate of the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and currently an assistant professor at the NCA Rawalpindi, displayed a series of six pieces, entitled ‘What Dreams May Come’. Her ink sketches on water-damaged paper are literally pregnant with fantasy, i.e. they explore a preoccupation with birth and conception, and especially how the human body deals with it.
Naeem Pasha, renowned architect and owner and curator of The Rohtas Gallery, told Pakistan Today “There is a common human thread through all the works. The show is in essence, the first in the revamped gallery. I asked some of my friends to contribute some pieces for this show and they obliged wholeheartedly.”
ZeeshanMansoor, guitarist for Malang Party and AriebAzhar was also among the patrons at the opening. Appreciating the work of the artists and their creative spirit, Mansoorsaid, “Considering that art is dying in Pakistan, this (show) is great.”
The show opened on Monday and will continue until January 3, 2014.
