A group show at Mainframe gallery displaying the works of AImen Kathia, Arsalan Naqvi, Babar Azeemi, Faiz Supro, Hira Noor Baig and Uswah Mughal was held recently.
Aimen Kathia’s explores the tormented innocence of human beings consumed by mundane life which fades over time, and as a result evokes feelings of guilt. The artist shares that in her work she explores the “transition of losing innocence and mundaneness of life and life how one falls prey to the enchanting but hideous realities and becomes immunes to the dingy life that a person no longer resists.” Dull expressions, muted colour palette questions the uncertainty of existence. “Her visuals are mainly a fusion of pop surrealism and magic realism that aims to show the dullness and realities of bare life embedded in the whimsical world”.
Arsalan Naqvi’s work refers to this section of society we see everyday, the underprvilages, the poor and homeless. “The plight of these people is a product of our outdated system. The helplessness of our society makes the future of our children bleak. When I look at these situations from an artist’s point of view, I blur things to make everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur so things that they do not look artistic, but technological, smooth and perfect. I blur things to make all the parts fit. Perhaps I also blur out the excess of unimportant information”.
Babar Azeemi shares, “aesthetics of culture and traditions with fragrance of colours, compositions and harmony are elements of my art. The female form is often see in traditional clothing, hands painted with henna, ears, necks and arms adorned with jewellery. These women are set against contemporary objects. “I create my work through a process of layer-by-layer development and scratching by combining with other numerous techniques to bring unusual effects and textures to make it contemporary.”
Faiz Supro deals with lines drawn by pen. His work shows different perspectives of the lives of ordinary people. He captures their various moods/expressions. “It is a mode of conversation from me that narrates cultural life and also subtly discusses its issues. I have tried to represent that happiness in the language of lines.”
Hira Noor Baig is inspired by childhood memories, local folklore and stories, the urban sprawl of her hometown and how it impacted her growing up. “My practice comes from personal space and strives to blend what a person experiences as an individual and as part of the community. The domestication of women even in urban cities resulting in isolation and loss of sense of community is something that I like to explore. I primarily work in watercolors as I find its transparent nature intriguing”.
Uswah Mughal shares, “most often our mind recollects the past moments to bring an image or idea into the mind. Reminiscence is the state where you recall the part moments or the remembrance of past that implies a nostalgic remembering of the past. There are the memories that trigger our mind with flashbacks that fade away with time and have no absolute presence of them yet ends up leaving a vague existence of them in us. The artwork is about flashbacks that start being played in our mind after recalling an image or idea from the past. “
A wonderful collection of art by talented and skilled artists from our community!
CAPTION
Arsalan Naqvi, A girl with a nose ring, Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inchesFaiz Supro, Beauty of desert, Pen & Acrylic on canvas, 35 x 70 inches
Babar Azeemi, Oil on paper, 24 x 36 inches
Aimen Kathia, ‘ab pta lag gya’ from ‘Petite series’, Oil on canvas, 12 x 12inches
Hira Noor Baig, “The touch of blue”, Watercolors and graphite on paper, 17 x 21 inches
Uswah Mughal, Siyah qalam on wasli, 3 x 3.5 inches
Arsalan Naqvi, The screaming, Oil on canvas, 12 x 36 inches