Written by: Shameen Arshad
Posted on: October 25, 2022 | 
| 中文
The whole image 18 by Abbas Ali
The show “Notes From Elsewhere” at Artescape Gallery, Islamabad opened to the public on the 18th of October,2022. The exhibition is a composite of alternate realities woven by a group of five artists. The artists reveal how the creative process can present individualistic readings of one’s surroundings, affected by their own aesthetic and understanding of the world around them.
The installation view
The group show curated by Irfan Gul Dahri, a well-known Artist, Curator and Art Educator consists of works by Abbas Ali, Feroza Hakeem, Komal Shahid Khan, Hifza Khan and Ramsha Haider, an interesting selection of artists living and working in different parts of the country, connected by their labour of love for miniatures.
Abbas Ali’s practice presents interwoven layers of time, essentially talking about how we cannot escape or separate our sense of self, lifestyle, or way of being from influences of the past. The act of creating a contemporary style of miniatures itself connects the past with the present and based on the subject matter of the artist, potentially the future. Ali takes it one step further as he inculcates old miniature paintings in his visuals alongside modern elements, unrestricting the pieces to a particular period. The images, most probably extracted from books or archives, are no longer a detached set of visuals. The artist also creates an interesting contrast between the finesse that is a fundamental feature of miniature painting against the messy, smudged text within the image. The text is reminiscent of stamp papers and other similar legal documents in Pakistan, creating discourse about identity and belonging.
Feroza Hakeem designs landscapes that are a creative manifestation of an ideal world. The work is centred on the oppression experienced by the Hazara community in Pakistan. Thus, it’s understandable that Feroza Hakeem would use such joyful and balmy settings to escape harsh reality. Hakeem is seen to channel her anxieties and perhaps helplessness, by creating fictitious spaces as an act of consolation or hope for a better future. Her concept adeptly translates into the expanse of bright yellow space with sparse vegetation, against an ominous pitch-black sky and the trees that symbolize the resilience of her community in response to uninhabitable and unkind surroundings. Hakeem’s work implements a similar use of gardens as that in old Persian paintings. Hakeem’s “Shahr-e-maan II” best captures the evolution of a largely barren space into what she hopes, is soon to be a fertile piece of land. This can be deduced by the abundance of vegetation that surrounds and seems to be closing in on this space and eventually replacing it, thus representing the artist’s hope for a brighter prospect in the future. The bright palette also suggests a childlike innocence and resulting optimism. Hakeem’s landscapes are inundated with symbols, perhaps most obvious to those that have more knowledge about the traditional practice of miniature painting. However, they are some universal ones that anyone can pick up.
Shahr-e-maan II by Feroza Hakeem
Hifza Khan’s landscapes transport the viewer to exotic landscapes, reminiscent of the idea of gardens being “Paradise on Earth”, as represented in early Persian miniature paintings. However, Khan’s images do not restrict themselves to the typical style of miniature painting. The palette also embodies the richness and voluminous appearance of enamel paint, like that used in truck art. It also possesses the magical or unearthly qualities of picturesque landscapes and mythical figures that normally adorn the backs of heavy vehicles. The intention behind the images is to depict the feeling of exhilaration and mysticism of the grandeur of nature, rather than accurate depictions of spaces. The gold pigment used for the sky further reinstates the idea of splendour and magnificence.
Reverence by Hifza Khan
Komal Shahid Khan’s images, like Ali’s, have a more 2D quality to them. Her surrealistic illustrations consist of a number of different objects, the human figure, animal forms, and designs all fused to present the human as an entity that encompasses a myriad of things, qualities and influences that make them more than just skin and bones. Titles such as “Queen” and “His desire I”, suggest the work is centred on ideas of gender and the particularities of each sex. Furthermore, the images possess a prevalent sense of melancholy that is created through empty backdrops, and her illustrations that seem to float within an abyss.
Queen by Komal Shahid Khan
Ramsha Haider’s work finds its basis in the spiritual poem “Conference of the birds” by Farid-ud-Din Attar. The artist has tried to recreate a metaphorical journey by illustrating birds as mentioned in the poem, alongside the human beings that they represent. The veiled bodies instantly tell the viewer of the spiritual intent behind the work. It also suggests the act of concealment or a symbolic veil or covering as mentioned in the poem, the latter however, is not very evident. The cyan blue of the backdrop and the birds seem like cyanotype, while the figurative forms are rendered in the classic technique of gouache on Wasli.
Untitled I by Ramsha Haider
The exhibition showcases some of the different ways the ancient craft of miniature is implemented in contemporary art. Whether technically or conceptually, this art form continues to have a significant influence on art practices today.
The work is up for viewing till the 3rd of November, 2022.
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