LAHORE: The thesis display of Naqsh School of Arts at Alhamra Art Gallery, The Mall, is quite reflective of what is happening around us and what sort of changes society is going through.

The theses of six final-year students show a great emphasis on their personal experiences, their thought process and observation. From a focus on the revival and changing nature of our culture to the personal journey of self growth the students also tried to look into the strong traditions of old Lahore and how its heritage is facing dereliction and disregard through their artworks.

The exhibition was inaugurated by famous visual artist Shahid Jalal. The students who displayed their work are: Rhuma Khan, Tayyaba Bilal, Adil Akram, Zubair Baig, Muqaddas Shehzad Hussain and Muhammad Riaz .

Some over 100 artworks by faculty and students such as drawings, paintings, miniature, ceramics, sculptures and calligraphy had a lot to offer in terms of technique and ideas.

Mr Jalal held the efforts of students in high esteem and said that the artworks on display were so matured that if one didn’t tell one could not guess that it was student’s work.

The exhibition will remain on for about a week.

Another exhibition of artworks ( paintings) by Sara Riaz Khan opened at Rohtas-2 Art Gallery, Model Town, on Monday. She said about her works that in the series, there was a sense of movement through spaces which parallel both inner and outer worlds. “I’ve enjoyed the challenges of working on a large scale and want to continue exploring different ways of mark marking, creating structure and expressing concepts,” she said.

She said she felt closely connected to nature and was interested in ideas which brought people together.

Colours excite the artist and Ms Khan mainly uses oil and gesso to stain and mark the canvas, building up texture and depth. Using paint more thickly in places allows the artist to scratch back and reclaim earlier layers of colour.

Rohtas-2 Art Gallery’s Saleema Hashmi said that the work was very meditative and inspired by journeys and experiences a very thoughtful one.

“One don’t realise how many layers are part of the work, it’s very poetic and unusual work and less artists do such paintings,” she said of the work. The exhibition will run till September 17.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2016