ISLAMABAD: An art exhibition by three contemporary artists opened up at Khaas Art Gallery on Tuesday.
The exhibition, titled ‘Tiercé’, features a combination of a total of 19 mixed media artworks by artists Abid Aslam, Fatima Shakil and Zahra Asim.
Aslam, whose works is largely inspired by impressionism, has experimented with an interesting ‘eyelet’ technique which resembles metallic punch-holes, which are actually tiny rings found in shoes. He takes flat vasli surfaces, designing them with multi-coloured rings which form detailed images. Placed three millimeters apart, these intricate rings combine to form a narrative.
A large image titled ‘Entertainment’ depicts two turbaned men, facing each other and playing a muted metallic instrument.
“This piece is about two forces opposing each other,” said the artist, adding that the image alludes to the current political situation in the country. “It has become a form of entertainment on any news channel that you surf on television these days.” Two other pieces show an army boot, with its untied camouflage laces, depicting the role of military or establishment as silent spectators and another one that talks about an inner conflict and the need to express oneself, with political undercurrents.
Shakil’s prints define the finesse and attention to detail that has gone into creating them. Based out of New York for the last three years, she identifies with the zebra in her prints. According to her, zebras look like fingerprints for their uniqueness and create an illusion when a predator comes to attack them.
“I’m a zebra in New York because I blend in the crowd where there are people from different ethnicities. I do blend in the crowd but I sustain my individuality,” she said, adding that the symbol of the animal was created out of a love for illusion.
Employing miniature symbols to create surreal imagery, she tells powerful stories through a juxtaposition of printing and painting, often not identifiable at first glance.
Asim explores congested, personal spaces. “I spent my childhood in an old, congested house in Lahore,” she said, adding that the interiors manifested into claustrophobia of sorts. When she had relocated elsewhere and visited the same house again, the same patterns overwhelmed her.
Her series of tiny oil paintings are a sneak peek into her world and a creative take on the ordinary. The everyday spaces in a gallery setting look interesting, lending a different perspective on personal spaces.
Alia Bilgrami, the gallery curator commented on the collective artworks, saying, “The work is not connected per se, but it goes well together in terms of the palette because each of the artist has used muted, monochromatic colours.”
Prominent artist and calligraphy exponent Rasheed Butt, who attended the exhibition, commended the role of local art galleries in spreading awareness about art and promoting young artists in the capital.
The exhibition will continue at the gallery till November 1.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2014.