Coming from a background filled with art enthusiasts expressing decades of suppressed emotions through music and other forms of creativity, ‘visiting an art exhibition’ had been patiently waiting to be ticked off on my bucket list.
This year has proved to be the luckiest for me so far. I guess the Facebook posts about ‘claim your blessing’ have officially worked. As a young writer, it’s crucial to work outside your comfort zone and experiment with multiple mediums to achieve mastery in knitting words together. Alhamra’s Third National Exhibition of Visual Arts, inaugurated by Moneeza Hashmi (Chairperson Lahore Arts Council), Saeed Akhtar (Eminent artist), Ijaz Ahmed Minhas (Executive Director, Alhamra) and Khayal Ahmad Kastro (Minister for Culture and colonies Government of Punjab) on November 16 proved to be the perfect event to expand my mind’s horizon and introduce a developed thought process through the visuals displayed. Numerous art lovers showed up to take a look around the art gallery and experience its unbeatable vibe. Taking a stroll around the exhibit and eavesdropping on visitors conversing about the displayed artworks, gave me an insight. Everyone had a contrasting approach to the paintings. Some questioned the unusual figures that differed from their reality, while others were too consumed to speak. These reactions portrayed a form of art as well. Complex humans, failing to understand their complexity, which was on display to confront them in a sense.
To cover an event and grasp its concept, one needs to engage with the organizers and artists. Several artists were present there, and I had the opportunity to have a brief conversation with a few. An artist’s aura differs from the rest. They carry the gift of creation, a godly trait bestowed on spirits humble enough to bear its immense weight. The spirits consumed by the body, later transformed into a self-portrait. Today gave me an insight into those kinds of self-portraits. Some had drawn themselves as realistic as a photograph captured at dawn. Others took a different approach and projected their vulnerabilities into mysterious figures that took months of intensive effort to come to life.
Sania Azhar’s ‘The Void’ subtitled, ‘Form is emptiness, emptiness is form’, caught my attention first. Not being a fine arts student became the reason behind my struggle to comprehend the artwork. The need to meet the artist became apparent. Azhar is the assistant director of digital art of the Punjab Council of Arts and is a passionate young woman willing to explain the thought process behind her artwork proudly displayed on a fortunate wall. A painting was displayed on the left as we reached the first floor of the prestigious architecture. The artwork showed a woman carved in white and bending forward while the background was coated with a splash of reds, blues, and yellows. Azhar proceeded to talk about her work as we had our eyes glued to the canvas. She spoke about the void within that never seems to fill. Even a complete human is left incomplete, and the emptiness resides within, taking the shape of an organ unable to be drilled out. The canvas carefully embraced a woman as Azhar’s works depict the vulnerabilities of being both a human and a woman. The strength to give out a piece of oneself remains a terrific part of the journey. However, Azhar has done a brilliant job at taking pride in her marvellous creations.
As Azhar bid goodbye, my thoughts shifted to the paintings again. There must be people involved working tirelessly to execute a massive exhibition. Our kind photographer at Minute Mirror introduced me to the event organizer Minaa Haroon. My brain couldn’t register the amount of information it received regarding the tremendous amount of work that made the exhibition come to life. It took four months for the arrangements with 102 passionate artists involved. Unfortunately, we could meet just a few. However, the work done by those few was incredible to attract the generations to come. Haroon, who perfected her skills at the National College of Arts (NCA) had the visitors in awe at her miniature painting. The precision in the photograph, which eventually became the muse for her, was simply glorious.
The next artist’s artwork filled my heart with a sense of pride for being an English literature student. Hira Siddiqui, an NCA Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Graduate, incorporated ancient art into her work which radiated the aura of masterpieces with her signature style, ranging from ‘Adam’s Birth’ and ‘The Last Supper’ to ‘Eastern Art’. The painting gives us the best of every world in existence, humans with contrasting personalities, diverse origins, and religions. It took three months for Siddiqui to finish her masterpiece and her happiness was evident.
My work had come to an end. However, the heavens were kind enough to bestow me with a chance to meet Sir Ajaz Anwar. The man gave a face to my thoughts regarding an artist’s elite stream of consciousness. He beautifully explained the importance of a bird that appears mere to every human’s eyes. His gestures and a brief look at every painting showed the eternal passion of this godlike trait. The day came to an end with artists surrounding Anwar; the people he likes to call his colleagues instead of students and a human who believes in individual growth and expanding one’s own horizon. I might’ve missed the tea everyone was gushing about, but everything fails to come close to this excellent experience my mind desires to encounter again.
Photography by Kamran Mehdi
