LAHORE – From the society’s double standards to the evolution of social system and from balancing time and space to deeper symbolism of things are just some of the topics that create the crux of the exhibition titled ‘What Next!’
Ejaz Art Gallery opened its doors for this unique exhibition by six young and potentially talented artists; Anam Khaliq, Aqeel Abbas, Dua Abbas Rizvi, Madiha Sikander, Rafia Butt and Usman Alvi. These young guns are vibrant in their individualistic approach and bursting with creative thoughts with a regard of their surroundings, from Dua’s disambiguation of the normal world and its norms to Usman colorful play with emotional self. Each body of workis not only independent of all that has come before but also is the setting for what more is about to come.
OBSERVING THE URBAN SPACE: Aqeel Abbas’s skill is not only reflected through his observant character but also through his intrigue for detail. Although his imagery is subtle, the expression of thought is quite crisp and over-bearing. Unlike most artists, who reject the idea of this harsh, urban and mainly concrete social setup, Aqeel studies it; discreetly sometimes observing the social elements, at times inducing himself in the day to day routines of his subjects and at other moments directly involving himself with the social elements.
Aqeel’s composition and subjects are very everyday and quite urban in their setting, whereas through his art the wider fabric of the social web is understood. His work is representative of his entire introspect; as a whole he is more involved within the creative hemisphere than becoming part of the work itself and his job is that of an observer silently recording the growth, demise, construction, fragmentation, amalgamation and decomposition of our social culture. His work is representative of the issues that are more or less relevant to us and our daily lives.
IN HER WORLD: Dua Abbas Rizvi was undoubtedly the show stopper of this exhibition. Her work, if it was only visual, might have been called powerful, keen and even fascinating, but here the impact is much more psychological than merely visual. Dua’s work is like a joy ride, a sense of stupor, dizzy fantasy and a sense of hyper time and space.
The subject of her paintings is quite often herself, whereas the backgrounds and the settings have a somewhat surreal effect to the whole piece. Extensively worked out textures, highlighted skin areas and artificial yet breathing surrounding space make Dua’s work remarkably unique. Her medium of choice might be mix-media but her incorporation and skill is no less ordinary either. Photo realistic compositions, hyper active environments and dreamlike narratives establish her as one of the most potently and creatively sound individual.
THE AESTHETIC SENSIBILITY: Madiha Sikander works with old books juxtaposing on them images of traditional, political and social steadfastness and correction. Although her skill is impressive beyond reason or belief, it is the surfaces she works on and the deep meanings she aims to attain from her work that are truly captivating.
Her work is sensible and open representation of the world she herself is an integral part of. Our nation, political chaos, social diaspora and economic zeal are profoundly and honestly observed and authentically portrayed. Hard hitting and quite retrospective in its nature, the work is very well coated in terms of aesthetic sensibility and creative vigor.
CONTRASTING BEAUTY: Isolation is the core subject of Rafia Butt’s work. This, however, she depicts through the most strange and visually interesting imagery of all ‘spaces’. Speaking from her own point of view Rafia has molded each and every space as her own. Establishing or rather trying to establish how reality is subjective in nature, she has created some very eye pleasing images of contrasting beauty.
These divisions are sometime soft and subtle, at other times disturbing and even quite comforting at many different places. These are visions of reality from the perspective of the artist’s imagination and diversity.
TRUE AND/OR FALSE: Anam Khaliq’s work is a kind of a vendetta against the pre-conceived ideas of fakeness; clash of the introspective truth with the retrospective false. Ignorance, false ideas, beliefs, hopes, dream, wishes, double standards, hypocrisy and lies all are thrown light in Anam’s work. The constant battle of our selves, contradictions within our selves and the improvisation of our fake self while we struggle with our real self is evident in her work.
Her imagery consists of very well handled and concluded representation of stitches. The pain which one inflicts upon ones own self is self evident in her work and so is the fake world that we are very much part of.
MUTE BUT EXPRESSIVE: Usman Alvi is the last and the most interesting individual of this troupe. Working with the imagery of birds and self portraits this artist is deaf and mute from birth. His work is an attempt to capture the sensory movements around him, because they provide the only way for him to establish a connection, a sense of relativity between things. His contemporary miniatures are silent but profound in meaning and thought.
Whereas most of them have common elements like cock fights, delicate structures of bamboo and his self portraits, all of these convey a keen and meaningful observation on the behalf of someone who might have two senses less than us but is much more aesthetically, socially and humanely correct than we can only dream of becoming.
The writer is a student of the National College of Arts and uses a pseudonym.
