April 24, 2004

It was hot and humid in the A.R. Faridi Art Gallery at the Pakistan Arts Council, Karachi, where a talk by the visiting London-based ceramist Parveen Zuberi was organized by the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts. However, the talk was too absorbing to make one feel uncomfortable.

Modest Zuberi may be about her communication skills, but with the help of some lovely slides she drove her points effectively across. She was speaking on Islamic arts. The slides of her own work were preceded by images of some fine representative works from Spain and the Muslim world. They were not just restricted to ceramics; there were architectural components and splendid pieces of calligraphy too. One was somewhat disappointed on not getting to see paintings, particularly miniatures.

Born in India, Zuberi migrated to Pakistan, and with her doctor husband stayed in Aden before settling down in London. This gave her an opportunity to study art and visit art galleries and museums which have a treasure trove of scintillating specimens of Islamic art. “When you are away from your roots you tend to become more conscious of your cultural identity,” was the host Niiloufer Furrukh’s apt remark in her introduction of the speaker.

Zuberi said she was always interested in colour and painting. She was doing her pre-medical intermediate and was planning to study medicine when she was engaged to a doctor. Unlike most people in his profession, her husband wasn’t thrilled with the idea of marrying another doctor. So that put an end to her ambition of becoming a medical profession. Her stay in Aden, with nothing much to do, proved advantageous in two ways — one, that she was able to do her A-levels, thanks to a distant learning programme, and two, she could study the local arts.

In the UK she had every conceivable opportunity to immerse herself in different art forms. “I was madly in love with art. I took up painting seriously and did a course in visual arts,” she said. She explored different art forms. “The first touch of clay was exciting. I felt I had found my medium. But my love for colour and painting did not wane. I did paint my pottery pieces,” enthused Parveen Zuberi.

When her husband was transferred to London, Zuberi took a course in Islamic arts at the Institute of Traditional Arts, which is affiliated to the University of Wales.

Explaining the nuances of Islamic arts and illustrating her points by screening her slides, she said Islamic art is based on symmetry and geometrical proportions. Commenting on an image of a date tree she said: “Look at the geometrical proportions of the branches; they serve as models to many art forms.” While speaking on octagonal and hexagonal forms, she showed many examples of Islamic arts from Makli and Chawkandi Tombs and Turkey and Andalusia. Then she screened some of her ceramic pieces, which followed the same patterns. Her plates and pots were all gaily painted with beautiful motifs.

Parveen Zuberi displayed her pieces recently at the exhibition on the theme of peace and harmony in New Delhi. One hopes she will do so on this side of the border also in the near future.