Fanaa-o-Baqa

By Shahab Ansari, "Group exhibition opens at Ejaz Galleries" - The Post - Lahore, Pakistan
Saturday, October 25, 2008

An exhibition of the young artists’ paintings titled “Inter-Linked,” was inaugurated at the Ejaz Galleries here on Friday.

The exhibition is showing 27 paintings (three each by every artist) in different mediums by nine artists, including Hajrah Khan, Shoaib Mahmood, Hiba Schahbaz Lotia, Khadim Ali, Habiba Zaman, Mahwish Chisti, Farah Jabeen, Ahsan Jamal Khan and Murad Khan.

Khadim Ali’s paintings titled ‘Jashn-e-Gul-e-Surkh’ (a part of a series of paintings with the same name) and an untitled one are a visual incarnation of Khadim’s view of the world as it is and how he wishes it to be. It is a kind of blend of ‘Dream’ and ‘Reality.’ The purpose of life, as Khadim perceives it, and its sharp contrast he finds in reality, is quite striking for the viewers.

Hajrah Khan has painted flowers in a semi-abstract and rich-coloured style, while contemplating that ‘nature is being forced to inhabit in an un-natural habitat’ as a plant grows in its natural habitat, but later taken to be planted somewhere else, one never knows whether it will adjust to its environment, or if it will wither away.

Farah Jabeen is another artist who is found grappling with ‘Intricate Realities’ in her paintings. Her creations brought to the exhibition are an attempt on her part to share her thoughts about how she would look at the realities of life, which she finds quite complex as it is evident in her paintings. Farah’s three paintings at display in the exhibition are titled “Deformation,” “Intricate Realities” and “Shehr-e-Zat.”

Murad Khan Mumtaz’ three creations are titled “Variation on a Persian Theme,” “Night I” and “Night II”. He believes that “imagery revolves around characters and organic life forms that live an absurd, awkward existence.” He says he gets inspiration from the Persian drawings of the Safavid and Timurid era. He says: “Initially, I started as an explorer of these archaic, anthropomorphic studies, but with the passage of time, I developed my own imagery that was more personal and relevant to our time.”

Ahsan Jamal has brought three-dimensional motifs to the exhibition with a mission. He is concerned about the situation in the country. He says: “it was after the Lal Masjid fiasco that I began working with several motifs related to religion and identity,” adding that the decision to bring three-dimensional relief to the text was a means of further highlighting how, despite differences and conflict, our identity as Muslims begins and ends with God. He presents his two ‘Untitled’ creations and a third one with the title “Mashallah” to send his message across.

Mahwish Chishti has been investigating Kufic calligraphic scripts for the last three years, which she has also used in the form of personalised stamps in her recent paintings. She says: “I believe that this specific exhibition has provided me with an opportunity to be connected with my classmates. “We were all trained at the same time but now live in different parts of the world,” she said. Mahwish has brought three of her paintings to the show by the artists of Pakistan, which are titled “Sanctuary,” “Sanctuary II” and an untitled one.

Shoaib Mahmood’s three creations in the exhibition are aptly titled “Dialogue with Tradition.” The paintings raise a question about the Western influences on the Pakistani youth. He says: “The Pakistani youth are misguided by Western influences.The influx of foreign brands, which is rapidly changing our world, is the focus of my work.”

Habiba Zaman Khan questions the taboo of giving preference to a male child, over a female one. Her work revolves around the preference to have a male child in our society due to certain social and personal issues. She says: “I am trying to show the beauty of having a child, but also the mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement of the soon-to-be-mother slowly washing away when she is put under ‘pressure,’ knowing that this is not in her hands. She has brought her three paintings to this Show titled “Preferences.”

Hiba Schahbaz Lotia explores the world of spirituality and Sufism while trying to interpret Jalauddin Rumi’s poetry through mirror images and reflections of the female form in her recent works. In the two paintings titled “Fanaa-o-Baqa,” Hiba has incorporated text from of a Persian poem by Jalauddin Rumi into the painting. Retaining the original Farsi text was important so as not to dilute the meaning of the poem with a translation.

It would not be unrealistic to state that the amalgamation of extraordinary intellectual brilliance and a grand demonstration of unmatched artistic skills by the nine artists of a versatile perception should certainly contribute towards bringing the artists’ community together to work as a whole.

All the paintings are online at Ejaz Gallery http://www.ejazartgallery.com//forsale.php?cid=6 Click on each painting to enlarge it

[Picture: 02
Hiba Lotia, Fanna o Buqa
32x32 cm /12.5 inches
Gad Rang, Haldi and gold leaf on - Sold].