KARACHI: It is always a delight to see young artists creating art with complete abandon, for what one gets to see is an unadulterated, uninfluenced effort that may or may not be right out of the top drawer. Analogical Paradigms — an exhibition of artworks by four young artists — these days can be seen at the Indus Valley School Gallery. All the participating artists seemed to have kept the word ‘paradigm’ in their minds while putting their artworks on display but have chosen different paths to get to their desired destination. Perhaps it wouldn’t be right to call it a destination. Let’s replace it with ‘goal’. As for analogies, well, it’s more of a metaphorical use of things that the viewer gets to see than anything else.
Naira Mushtaq plays on how faces can serve as a catalyst to jog one’s memory (gel transfer, collage on paper). However, when the faces get blurred or distorted, recollections become a challenge. The artist’s second exhibit reminds the viewer of the phrase ‘child’s play’ and yet the difficulty to find a face to get a clearer picture makes the scene (read: memory) unclear.
Nabeel Majeed Sheikh makes a political statement. His medium: paper. The three important dates in his artworks are ‘1947’, ‘1971’ and ‘2013’. This is readily understandable as to how a big piece of land changes shapes and metamorphoses into something else when its chunks are yanked out of it for whatever reasons. But this is not what Mr Sheikh is all about. ‘Bounty’ speaks volumes for his imaginative approach to art.
Kamran Khaskheli employs the metaphor of ‘speed’ in his oil-on-canvas exhibits. It’s not just the speed that vehicles move with/at that he’s talking about; it’s the momentum that time has gathered and doesn’t seem to have any control over to slow it down.
The highlight of the show is Hamida Khatri’s brilliant and arty digital prints. With a profusion of colours and an assortment of emotion-driven topics, the artist has announced her arrival. ‘Of Those That Exist in Her Mind’, ‘Forsaken Truth’, and ‘What Is’ are a few of her eye-catching artworks.
The exhibition will continue till Oct 24.
