KARACHI: Whoever is fond of any form of expression would be familiar with the oft-quoted Plato assertion that ‘art is twice removed from reality’. The philosopher’s famous example of the chair, here, will come in handy. According to him, the chair first came as a concept or idea in the mind of the carpenter after which he gave it a concrete shape. So, when a writer writes about the chair or a painter paints it, they’re twice removed from reality. Aristotle, however, rejects that notion by suggesting that the kind imitation that artists indulge in surpasses reality, in the sense that it, in Aristotle’s words, ‘gives pleasure’ compared to which all other pleasures are inferior.

A two-person exhibition that opened at the Chawkandi art gallery on Tuesday validates the latter, big time.

Any attempt to construe, unravel or comment on the content of the participating artists Mohammad Mujeeb Lakho and Farooque Ali Chandio’s artworks would be a gross mistake. It is their craft, especially Lakho’s, which is simply breathtaking. Lakho, in cricketing parlance, has extraordinary hand-eye coordination. The artist has razor-sharp observation and a hand whose grip on the pen can be likened to a surgeon holding his scalpel. The artist’s pen-and-ink-on-paper exhibits are a delight to look at. The way he has drawn the chatai (straw smat) and its various stages makes the viewer feel as if its pieces have been put in frames, and no artistry is involved. This is life imitating art with glee.

Chandio, too, has appreciable control over technique. His medium, though, is different. He employs graphite and tea wash on paper which adds colour and another dimension to his work. But what both artists prove is that the art-life debate and the two Greek gentlemen will always remain relevant… to all times.

The show will run till May 17.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2016