An exhibition of sculptures, art reliefs and drawings by acclaimed sculptor and ceramist Talat Dabir opened at Tanzara Gallery on Thursday.
The exhibition titled “The Inward Journey” features the artist’s most recent artpieces from “boat series”as well as some pieces from the previous collection.
The artist has won several awards and honors and 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 on several occassions.
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.
For Dabir, creating art is a form of catharsis. Her fine pen and ink drawings have a minimalist and miniature-like quality about them. Her work is romantic and the essence of the art is calming.
“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,” the artist said.
She said that she has tried to inculcate a 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.
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 inherent cliches 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 and new sculptural mode.
The gallery curator, Noshi Qadir, while commenting on artist’s work said, “Dabir is an artist of eminent stature who needs no introduction. In a still rapidly expanding art world, she holds a key position as one of the most celebrated and creative sculptors and ceramists from Pakistan.”
The exhibition will continue till November 13, excluding Sundays.