The works, put on display at the Ustad Allah Buksh Gallery Alhamra, are a treat for art lovers and a strong expression of commitment and hard work by the outgoing class of MFA, Institute of Art and Design, Punjab University.
The group comprises nine painters who work with various mediums and techniques to make visuals, dealing with various issues and aspects of social, political and personal life.
Aneeqa Afzal repeatedly used images of a variety of shoes and sandals for the symbolic depiction of various issues. She works with acrylics and oil on the low textured canvas. In one of the works, she has painted a masculine arm trying to wear female footwear. The delicate texture, created by text, serves as a beautiful background. An illusion of the backside of a half canvas adds to the mystery and meaning of the painting.
Skillfully applying paints of varied thickness, Arooj Fatima created a wide range of visual textures to illustrate human responses to noise and pleasant sounds. The colours, textures, signs and symbols used in these visuals express variation in human mood in response to the nature of the sound.
To express herself, Asmara Ahmed painted in a naturalistic style. A vertical composition, 'Uncertainty,' is executed by employing thin layers of oil paint on the board. It is an enlarged image of a decaying leaf, studied in detail. She relates the decaying leaf with the process of decay in society. Bushra Younas painted her 'Memories' with great passion. She has used collage, mixed media and oil on canvas to make these visuals. 'Gone but not forgotten' is an expressive monochromatic painting which reflects the agony she has undergone. However, she also created some colourful compositions by using collage, photographic images and oil paint.
Flowing lines and visual textures are major elements of paintings by Hina Saeed. Her work 'Lakeerain' is inspired from fingerprints which she considers the basic identity of human beings. She works with bright colours, direct from colour tubes. These works carry glimpses of textile designs, because she has worked in fabric designing for a long time.
In a series of works 'It is the hidden which evokes the urge to reveal,' Ismat Zahra addresses confusions of a common man. She paints folds of drapery which simultaneously reveals and conceals the objects inside.
Maryam Riaz handled 60x60 inch canvases with good command and skill. She renders each and every part of her canvas by delicately using layers of thin paint. Her expression is bold and she has a rich palette. She studies the subject in minute detail and ends up with mature and highly expressive works.
Intricate details, sensitive rendering and skilled drawings by Sadaf Zeeshan reflect a good command on handling various image-making tools. In a series of small-size paintings, she creates illusions by mixing collage and printed images with painted images. A deep emotional involvement with the subject is evident in all of her works, especially in the portrait of her father. The promising young painter has huge potential.
Sana Khan plays with compositions. In one of her works, titled 'Curiosity kills the cat,' she painted a very little part of the canvas and left the rest blank to put an emphasis on the painted corner.
It was a good exhibition which shows a majority of artists are gifted with aesthetic sensibility and an understanding of mediums. They can grow as professional painters if they continue studio practice rather than doing odd jobs to earn a living.
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