A recent exhibition of paintings by Nazia Ejaz mounted at Canvas Gallery, Karachi, was a visual delight of colour, texture and condensed ideas. The artist’s brilliant amalgamation of mixed media created paintings that symbolised in her own words, “The inspiration that comes from Pakistan, its poetry, music, the warmth and resilience of its people, the popular culture, the noise and drama of everyday life.”

The artist’s themes included a series of rickshaws and cityscapes conveyed in an almost abstract abandon of bright colours applied with palette knife and a drip technique. The media used included oil, synthetic polymer paint and pastels on canvas and linen surfaces. The designs framing the rickshaws were described by the artist as chammak patti sticker patterns that is used to decorate urban transport; but they also added a reflection of the miniature paintings of the artist’s oeuvre, bringing a sense of direction to the vigorous chaos of city life. One absorbed the symbols of the broken rickshaws, remnants of violence; as the artist described, “Art does not need pathos, the cruelty of everyday life is enough.”

An aerial view of the cityscapes shows the roofs and winding staircases of the old city of Lahore, interspersed with the greenery of large old trees. Here the artist has completely captured the identity of the city; viewing the outlines of the work one immediately recognised Lahore.

Ejaz, who now lives with her family in Australia, was born in Lahore and attended Kinnaird College before joining the National College of Arts, Lahore. Her parents had hoped she would make a career in medicine as she did so well in science subjects. However, they became very useful to her while studying printmaking at the Slade School of Art, where she took her MFA.

The artist then took a graduate diploma course in Indian Art History from the School of Asian and African Studies, London and became deeply interested in the subject. One frequently discovers in her work the parallel between miniature artworks in some of her paintings. While in London, Ejaz took slides of her work to show Robert Skelton, at that time the curator of the Victoria and Albert Indian section. It was a thrill when two of her prints were selected for exhibition in the museum.

The artist has experience of teaching, painting and printmaking in the UK and Pakistan. On returning to the country, she initiated children’s art classes and exhibited the work of her pupils between the ages of five to 12 years to an appreciative audience. Ejaz then went on to teach printmaking with great enjoyment for two years at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi. During that time she held an exhibition of her paintings in the city and showed her work in Lahore before her marriage and settling in a new country.

Since her children are now attending school, Ejaz anticipates more time for her art, and looks forward to closer associations with the art scene in her new surroundings. Viewing the artist’s latest work, one lauds her love of bright colour, the bold and wonderful textures created by her masterly use of the palette knife. Her work continues to reflect her interest in past and contemporary art methods brought into the context of her own life and times.