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    Art Review: 'The Temporary Facade' by Scheherezade Junejo & Naveen Shakil at Satrang Gallery

    Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan
    Posted on: November 30, 2018 | | 中文

    (L-R) Judai by Naveen Shakil and Flights of Fancy by Scheherezade Junejo

    The two person exhibition, “The Temporary Façade” opened yesterday at Satrang Gallery, Serena Hotel, Islamabad. The two female artists, Scheherezade Junejo and Naveen Shakil, are primarily focused on representational figurative works, done in oils and acrylics, on both canvas and paper. There is a harmonious female voice that the artists together are communicating to the viewer. Shakil’s compositions are led by referential sculptural antiquity, a metaphorical avenue that meets at an intersectional street disrupting these high art figurative depictions, through elements of graffiti art and design. Similarly, Junejo’s paintings are armed with a meticulous command over hyper realistic rendering of the human form that overlaps with ideas of an obscure sexuality, obscenity and a muted violence. Together, these female artists across two countries and the patriarchal-multiverse are countering our Pakistani normative conventions of figurative art.

    Inertia - Beyond Dialogue by Naveen Shakil

    Inertia - Beyond Dialogue by Naveen Shakil

    In Human by Scheherezade Junejo

    In Human by Scheherezade Junejo

    The viewer can see Junejo has placed androgynous figures lying across, standing or seated in the paintings “Daydreams”, “Spotlight”, “Flights of Fancy” and “In Human,” while one pairing of limbs is free to explore their surroundings or glide across the picture plane, simultaneously in the same composition the other pair of limbs is strictly crossed over or clenched together. These poses are acting as a visual curtain behind which Junejo highlights a psychological state of being, and by deliberately decapitating the figure’s head, the result is a cryptic surrealistic moment between the paintings and the viewer. There is intentional distortion of the body’s natural physiology; Junejo is experimenting with a theoretical reality of the body and in that instance politicizing it. There is a blatant social realism in these works, urging the viewer to be inquisitive about the narrative that is purposely removed. Junejo, similar to her literary fictional counterpart, Dr. Frankenstein, is weaving a tapestry of abominations giving her creations the autonomy of contorted anatomical performance. In Junejo’s world of the strange, nightmarish and explicit, these bodies comfortably dance under a pale white light. Knowingly brutalising and dehumanising the body can be considered a commentary and a self-reflective process investigating the representation and controlling of female bodies in our society. In the painting “Daydreams” Junejo’s tactile yet delicate brushwork, creates an imposingly wrinkled porcelain skin, which she contrasts with a velvety textured background. We are reminded of the classic theatrical suspense found in movies by Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, as there is a sense of dread and a pulse of suspense in the painting. “In Human,” similar to her other black and white palette paintings, is framed with a solid red colour that reframes the composition, and the playful interaction of the contrasting planes creates an interesting spatial dimension in the work.

    Daydreams by Scheherezade Junejo

    Daydreams by Scheherezade Junejo

    Shakil has an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the arts; her work demands to be outside the conventional parameters of a studio practice. On the side streets of her neighbourhood in New York, Shakil is creating large scale murals of the images she has created on her drawing table and easel. There is a seamless back and forth between the worlds outside her studio and inside these compositions. The alignment of multiple portraits as seen in “Eden,” is echoed in the drawing, mural and eventually comes together as a 3-D sculptural painting. “Eden” and “Judai (Separation)” are layered with different physical acts of creating the same composition repeatedly; there is an architectural exploration of the painting process. Shakil has six paintings, each accompanied by pencil and graphite renditions. She also included photo and video documentation of her street art, sharing the entirety of her process with the viewer. The painterly sensuality in “Khaki Banda (Ceremonial Dust)”, “Sajda” and “Kazi” show her aesthetic appreciation of contemporary Sufi music from Pakistan. These works along with their subtle trigonometrical and nonlinear elements of spills, drips and hints of gold create a push and pull effect between the ominous dark backgrounds and ghostly lit forms.

    Eden by Naveen Shakil

    Eden by Naveen Shakil

    This gathering of Shakil’s floating portraits and bodies along with Junejos reductive human like entities create a metaphorical purgatory, binding together these two artistic worlds as one.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021