Nairang Art Gallery opened a two-person photography and fine arts show featuring Zarminae Haroon Ali and a pro-modern occultist Mariam Aftab. Aftab has crossed psychological counseling with tarot reading and now uses healing images and colour therapy for her series of paintings. She toys with the idea of incorporating the art of healing into decorative pieces of art; these help the viewer achieve their goals via colour therapy.
“Along with colour therapy, I use various symbols that serve as corrective measures for anger, depression, healing, panic, cleansing of the aura and opening of the inner eye,” says Aftab. There are multiple series within the collection, based on clinical hypnotherapy and energy.
“There is a lot of symbolism in the work that helps align your experiences — like the moon is connected with the water waves and the viewers will experience emotional outer body experience through their dreams,” continues Aftab
Along with hypnotherapy and colour therapy, Aftab does a series of calligraphic drawings as well, using the names of Allah. “Each name has a different purpose and if used with the right colour it can allow the viewers to achieve different things,” she continues, “people really interested in art and those who understand the art of healing have really appreciated the work.”
It is a very interesting concept to see healing incorporated in art using colour therapy to serve a different purpose than just decoration.
Zarminae Haroon Ali’s story is an interesting one. “I went to Mariam Aftab for my tarot reading and she told me I had a talent for photography,” begins Zarminae Ali, “she pushed me into giving it a shot and now six months later I was in a position to put up this show.”
The photographer communicates her stories of ecstasy, decay and new life, of regret and innocence, of tragedy and reverence through her lens. She captures architecture and nature in her frames. Her photography juxtaposes the seeming immobility of places of the past, with the complete vulnerability of the human condition, bringing her vision firmly into the tragedy and joy of the reality of existence.
She captures various different angles and moments of the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore along with some stunning images of the whirling dervish in Turkey.
The collection is priced between PKR 6500 — 35000
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2014.
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