KARACHI: Human life and the surroundings where it grows and then eventually fades away fascinate artists. Sometimes the geographical part of the growth takes precedence over its psycho-physical development.

An exhibition of Anum Jamal’s artworks titled Annotations: Revisited that opened at the Koel Art Gallery on Thursday peruses life in urban locales where materials like concrete matter but have an effect which is far less tangible.

The first piece on display ‘You Are Here’ (gouache on digital drawing) tells the viewer a lot about what the artist’s drift is. The labyrinthine image with a flower in the middle and the text suggesting ‘right’ is a stark reminder of the kind of lives that we have become accustomed to lead. Our maze-like existence in mega set-ups is not an uncomplicated phenomenon.

But if we focus too much on the content of the show and what Anum is actually trying to say, there’s likelihood that we will lose sight of how technically sound an artist she is. There are some very fine works of art in terms of technical finesse on view, for example the ‘Putting It Together’ series (pen and ink on digital drawing). A close inspection would reveal that there’s less digital and more fine-artiness to the series than anything else. It holds you and makes you take notice not just to decipher the meaning of it all, but to silently appreciate the artist’s talent. ‘The Radiant People’ (installation) vindicates the observation and hints at her versatility.

The piece that needs special mention is ‘Concrete Garden’ (gouache on digital drawing). We have often read and uttered the phrase concrete jungle to suggest unbridled and unplanned urban growth, but replacing jungle with garden here lends multifariousness to the subject.

The exhibition will continue till Aug 27.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2016