KARACHI: An exhibition to acknowledge and encourage artists from Sindh, including those who practise their art in the Central Prison Karachi, opened at the National Museum of Pakistan on Tuesday.

The show titled Sangat has more than two dozen exhibits on view and most of them are made by those who have not had training at prestigious art schools. This is the factor that makes it even more worth watching because often it is in raw talent that one gets to see sparks of brilliance. For example, one of the most attention-drawing artworks is ‘Sufi of Sindh’ (fiberglass) made by Sajid Shaikh Suratgar. Now, the name or pen name Suratgar itself means the one who makes images.

The Sufi of Sindh piece is important from cultural and artistic perspectives. As for cultural component, it is a symbol of a centuries-old tradition that this part of the country is proud of, as we all should be. And as an expression of art, the artist has shown that particular face of a Sufi that likes to engage others in a discourse, not speak when spoken to. The addition of a rosary bead to the exhibit can be interpreted both in cultural and aesthetic terms.

Syed Hasnain Raza and Aziz Bugti’s (oil on canvas) untitled works depict rural life in a little flamboyant manner, but one can understand that because it is a result of the longing for that life, not a consequence of brooding nostalgia. Especially, with Raza the woman in the foreground of his painting brims with life, with a cherubic smile and demure mannerism.

Dr Jamshaid Ahmed’s subjects seem varied but actually he is super inspired by nature and all its manifestations. His ‘Blue Moon’ is one exhibit that needs special mention. There is a sense of movement in the painting which turns it into a scene right out of the Carl Segan book Contact.

The exhibition, organised by the Sindh culture and tourism department and curated by Mehreen Hashmi, will continue till May 14.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2016