There is an address in Model Town Lahore that has a special appeal for young and creative artists, it is 39K. Housing a gallery space that is overseen by Abdullah Qureshi, it has invariably shared art that seeks to explore new mediums and also to push away the boundaries of the ‘conventional’. The most recent exhibition included Qureshi’s own works, in addition to those of two other young artists, Umar Nawaz and Hassan Sheikh.

A graduate of London’s Chelsea School of Art, Qureshi’s discourse is steeped in a seemingly unfettered relationship with colour and texture, though imagery does appear selectively and mostly through mixed media ‘interventions’. So within bold swathes of colours and undulating textural elements, one does often witness a photograph cut out and pasted within the composition and which, according to the artist, has a meaning and significance that is invariably personal.

One cannot really ascertain any particular ‘message’ in these works and in fact, there is no such intention on the part of the artist. The kinaesthetic impulse to immerse oneself in the act of painting, becoming one with the ‘process’ rather than being overly concerned with the end product, is an overriding one in Qureshi’s style of working, quite in the manner of Abstract Expressionists.

The point of departure from this impulsion comes when selected imagery appears through photographs, creating a seeming dichotomy of technique and intent. However, there are a number of canvases which rely primarily on just layers of colours and texture incorporated through cloth or pieces of canvas cut out from the artists’ earlier canvases and employing a variety of mediums, including oils, inks and enamel paint. There is a palpable sensitivity in the works despite the bold, childlike and almost hedonistic revelry in mediums that the artist appears to enjoy.

Nawaz’s sculptures are more like installations, and he makes use of ‘found objects’ to create new entities. So one sees a water motor pump converted into a clock, or a combination of items including a tripod, light bulb and inverted cone-shaped serving as a magical looking red light in a dark room, or else, a colourful square tent that looks like a large Rubik’s cube placed in the outdoors and beckoning viewers to peep into the enclosed space. An almost childlike playfulness combined with a measured approach to methods and materials make the works rather fascinating.

Then there are two large-sized installations by Sheikh which are somewhat like three-dimensional murals. One of these covers a large expanse of a wall in a deceptively delicate looking mesh which, at first glance, looks relatively soft and pliable. However, closer inspection reveals that it is made of strips of hard iron that have been manually manipulated to give the aforementioned effect.

The other installation covers the length of another wall with a silver metallic sheet that gives the effect of a mirror and yet has been subtly carved into a number of geometrical shapes so that the viewer’s reflection in it appears to be fragmented. Sheikh thus adds another perspective to the common theme of the exhibition, that is, experimentation with nature and possibilities inherent in various materials.

So whether it is through paint, paper, canvas, cloth or metals, these young artists have indulged in their own fantasies and impulses, beckoning viewers to explore new and even perplexing, territories of mind and matter.