ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN YOULIN MAGAZINE
Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan Posted on: April 28, 2022 | | 中文
Art enthusiasts looking at the art pieces on display at O Art Space
A narrative can be viewed as a series of interconnected events that overlap and intersect at various points, presented by a specific protagonist according to their truth. The emphasis of the group exhibition currently on display at O Art Space, is on the personal nature of a narrative that can be understood by examining each participating artist's body of work. The show includes works by artists Hasnain Ali, Mahwish Khan, Nabeel Majeed Sheikh, Rahat Ali and Shahana Munawar.
The emotional and physical are merged into a visual manifestation by Shahana Munawar, where she has used the anatomical shape of a heart made in fibreglass titled “A Dil e Nadaan…” She uses a selection of bright Acrylic colours that include green, yellow, red and black. Each heart is presented as its unique persona, there are elements of traditional calligraphy, floral embroidery and geometrical shapes resembling henna designs. There is a sense of celebration using intricate patterns contrasted by energetic strokes and lettering. These hearts are perhaps signaling life’s complete journey starting with birth, that is filled with bright uncontaminated red colour maturing over time and symbolized by the series of blooming floral bouquets leading to darker emotional themes reflected in splashes and green colour. Eventually, we land on a black heart that is gilded in gold calligraphy, like a commemorative monument marking the end of life.
Ayat-e-Kareema wird by Mehwish Khan
Committing herself to non-representation forms in search of a higher meaning, the artist, Mahwish Khan, uses a mathematically symmetrical matrix to create large scale drawings. In her work “Ayat-e-Kareema wird”, there is a mandala form with a square shape superimposed, so that both shapes remain in focus. The optical tapestry “(19) Al-Wahid (akela, ek), Ya-wahido Wird” has ink, pen and gold leaf on archival paper to create an illusionary effect on the viewer's sight that pushes and pulls different visual planes in one composition. The work uses modern patterns of the spiral and grid that makes the patterns appear similar to cross-stitch embroidery, or the electrical motherboard of a computer. Mahwish has created a kind of personalised DNA to examine the space within her compressed grids that challenge the viewer to look beyond line and form, into a more meditative state of mind.
Wild Life by Nabeel Majeed Shaikh
The shaping of our individualised reality depends on sources of knowledge that record and explain the environment. Nabeel Majeed Shaikh uses the symbology of books to highlight the importance of preservation and study of nature. In his “Wild Life” series he created a Deer Hunt insignia on one of his marble books, and the portrait of a Zebra with the title Africa Wild Life on the other, using laser and carving techniques. The weight of these heavy objects indicates how much is forcefully packed into these study guides, which feels unnatural and claustrophobic. But on the other hand, when looking for answers that are more spiritual and celestial, the shape of a book feels inviting and otherworldly. These books titled “Islamic motive”, use familiar patterns taken from the history of nonrepresentational art forms of Islamic geometry and architecture.
Jharoka Manzil (details) by Hasnain Ali
Hasnain Ali is rebuilding architectural fragments from personal history in the form of lead sculptures. His works in the exhibition include “Jharoka Manzil”, which has a recognisable balcony with intricately carved traditional motif that has been a historical part of heritage design for generations. The detailing is flawless, with texture bricks that resemble the weathered and aged walls of an ancestral home. The other piece is called “Abbasi House”, which has a fence and an electricity meter parked right outside the main entrance of a multistory house with a solitary Panj-Tan-Paak flag on the roof of the house. These two architectural fragments feel personal, as they are a window into the artist's identity and history. Their scale and detailing are a testament to Husnain spending countless hours on the structures, so that the viewer is instantly transported. We experience these places through the artist's eyes in the hope of understanding his experiences.
Throughout the exhibition, each artist has targeted a certain facet of a narrative, the viewer after traveling the heart, spirit, mind and environment can examine the body as a source of an evolving narrative through the drawings of Rahat Ali. His “Untitled” series uses Stone Ash and graphite on paper as a medium to create drawings of objects that feel dismembered and connected by an assemblage of limbs. The laboratory treatments of objects to create figures create an atmosphere of determination and reveal an inner strength that is human and relatable. The artist has staged these kinetic robotic structures in a way that they look as if they are in motion or posing in the studio for their portrait. Rahat masterfully blends various world histories into one composition, freely moving between time and reality to create his compositions.
Untitled II (details) by Rahat Ali
The studio practice of an artist can be read like a personal narrative that is evolving and developing into a larger body of work. Artists participating in the exhibition have shared some of their work that allows the viewer to deeply reflect on not only the identity, psychology and emotions of the artist, but also discover more about themselves in the process. The exhibition continues till May 2nd 2022 at O Art Space, Lahore.
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