Art Exhibition Titled The Spark Held At SAG

Satrang Art Gallery (SAG) and Serene Arts showcased the art works of four female artists in an exhibition titled The Spark here on Wednesday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2022 ) :Satrang Art Gallery (SAG) and Serene Arts showcased the art works of four female artists in an exhibition titled The Spark here on Wednesday.

The group show displaying the art work of Aimen Manzoor, Amna Rahman, Khadijah Rehman, and Zara Asgher was held under the banner of cultural diplomacy to promote art and artisans.

Sharing her views with APP the curator of SAT Zara Khan said that "these artists have used various mediums including Gouache and gold leaf on paper, etching, and oil on canvas to create images that combine both figurative art and symbolism to visualize their messages".

She added that the exhibition explored the invisible energetic force and the vigorous response of individuals and how it created a connection not only with others but also with their surroundings.

She said that the exhibition explored emotions such attraction, comfort, and camaraderie, at times an instinctive positive reaction or intuition, sometimes called an inherent sixth sense. "It can also be felt as a negative reaction, a sense of foreboding or discomfort, and a feeling of anxiety in response," she added.

Each of these artists has interpreted this connection in a way that suits their larger investigations into daily life and social interactions in private and public spaces, she added.

Talking about the artists she was of the view that Aimen Manzoor in her paintings explored the relationship between the ordinary and the seemingly mundane. The compositions and stark colors of her paintings warp these otherwise simplistically realistic or banal scenes, drawing attention to her subjects engaged in habitual and repetitive activities.

In some paintings, she sets up scenes to be occupied by individuals who are missing from the frame, Zara Khan said.

About Khadijah Rehman she said that the artist explored the often familiar and the familial or fictitious, delicate moments captured within her intricate paintings. "She borrows from family photographs which she embellishes with vivid patterns, minute details, and traditions of Persian and Mughal miniatures. The deliberate inclusion of unlikely elements such as exotic motifs, the placement of animals, and other dreamlike imagery create staged and layered tableaus, exploring relationships and interactions," she added.

Zara Khan further told that Amna Rahman and Zara Asgher both highlighted the careful navigation of the body, primarily the female body, within a patriarchal male-centric society. "Amna's figures, painted within spaces she deems as "safe" are completely at ease, engaged in conversations, and comfortable with themselves and their surroundings," she said of her work.

Zara's work explores the gendered quality of her surroundings, particularly highlighting how public spaces in Pakistan are heavily occupied by male bodies. Her drawings of repeating patterns of bodies highlight the structures of hierarchies she has seen.

The works come together to create a series of encounters for the viewer to experience, interpret, and absorb, the curator said.