Written by: Sana Shahid
Posted on: May 09, 2025 | 
| 中文
Refracted by Qasim Bugti and Romessa Khan
Both nature and consciousness have been studied by artists for millennia, each attaching their own interpretation to these phenomena. The exhibition “Bridging Nature, Matter, and Consciousness” at Satrang Gallery in Islamabad showcases the same, in the evocative and contemplative world crafted by Romessa Khan and Qasim Bugti. The show masterfully unites two distinct yet deeply intertwined visual languages that investigate nature, materiality and the inner workings of consciousness. Through a series of intricate and expansive works, the artists present a philosophical and tactile meditation on the rhythms of the cosmos and the memory of the earth.
Evolution by Romessa Khan
Both artists operate from different points of view. Where Khan sees the subject through a lens of metaphysical transformation and microscopic energy, Bugti does so from careful observation of the forms in nature. Together, they weave a narrative that dissolves boundaries between matter and mind, the organic and the abstract, the ancient and contemporary.
Radiance by Qasim Bugti
Qasim Bugti works primarily with ink and pigment on sheet, with pieces such as Resilience and Ethereal Grid revealing an artist in harmony with the silent language of nature’s architecture. His miniature painting background is evident in the intricacy of each line and the meditative repetition of texture. In “Radiance”, Bugti manipulates tonal shifts of black ink to create delicate textures, depicting the rough bark of ancient trees or the sediment lines in rock formations. The monochromatic palette gives the piece a subtle, timeless quality. “Resilience”, a diptych, presents a sense of pressure and release, shown through the use of pigment that bleeds like wounds and roots simultaneously. These works reflect his artistic statement, where cracks, imperfections and textures embody survival and the poetic tension between strength and fragility. In “Vortex”, a slightly smaller piece, the ink seems to whirl inwards, as if capturing the gravitational pull of nature. Bugti’s works stand out even more due to this restraint, as he resists the temptation to fantasize his pieces and allows his forms to emerge quietly from the paper.
Vortex by Qasim Bugti
Romessa Khan’s works are equally intriguing, yet more fluid and spiritual in their visual language. Drawing from metaphysics and cosmological imagery, her art depicts the transformation of energy into form, of matter into consciousness. Using mixed media, ink and watercolor, she constructs semi-abstract visual canvasses that feel simultaneously microscopic and celestial. In “As Above So Below”, shades and tones of blues and sepia intertwine, suggestive of the flow of deep-sea organisms. The symmetry of the composition is disrupted by soft and bold strokes, echoing the chaos/order dynamic she identifies in her statement. “Twinflame” is one of the more emotive pieces with two vertical energies reaching toward one another in hues of crimson, violet and deep indigo, capturing both tension and harmony. In her untitled diptych, the palette is more subtle with tones of smoke and earth, and delicate linework at the internal mapping of a body or ecosystem. The viewer is left to interpret whether they’re looking at neurons firing or some branches stretching through soil.
Twinflame by Romessa Khan
Where the exhibition truly shines is in the collaborative works like “Golden Hour” and “Refracted”. In these large diptychs, Khan and Bugti’s aesthetics merge and co-exist. Her unworldly abstractions and his intricate surface textures blend with one another to create artworks that are truly mesmerizing. In “Golden Hour”, warm ambers and shadowy browns across the panels like an evolving sunset, inviting multiple interpretations. “Jawab-e-Shikwa”, a quadriptych, pays homage to literary heritage, being a reference to Allama Iqbal’s famed poem, and functions as a visual response piece. The work reflects a dialogue, possibly between the artists or between matter and spirit. The show becomes not just about nature or consciousness, but about the act of conversation between forms, histories and philosophies.
Golden Hour by Romessa Khan and Qasim Bugti
What binds this exhibition together is a shared commitment to process. The use of ink and natural pigments across the board reinforces a sense of rootedness. The artists choose earthy mediums to explore celestial or metaphysical ideas. The predominance of earthy tones like ochres, umbers, greys and soft pastels further grounds the show, while moments of color bring some much-needed emotion and depth to break from the monotony.
As Above So Below by Romessa Khan
In “Bridging Nature, Matter, and Consciousness”, Khan and Bugti don’t offer answers. Instead, they create a visual canvas for reflection, urging the viewer to consider their place within a vast, interconnected universe. This exhibition is not just seen but rather felt and experienced. It reminds us that beneath every surface, whether a tree trunk, human skin or a sheet of paper, there lies a world of stories waiting to unfold.
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