ISLAMABAD: The Nomad Gallery opened a new exhibition that provides a window into 30 years of work of a Sialkot-born artist, who has dedicated over 50 years of his life towards abstract art, calligraphy, print making and drawing.

With a Masters in Fine Arts from Istanbul Technical University Turkey, Shafique Farooqi has contributed around 10,000 pieces to more than 100 exhibitions at home and abroad.

After showing in Lahore, the gallery brought the exhibition, titled ‘Journey of Life’, to Islamabad on Tuesday.

Known best for his impressions of whirling dervishes, Farooqi has brought drawings, traditional prints, bodies of work in mixed media, pen and ink, and traditional etching, some of which date back to over two decades.

The price of the 40 works in the exhibition range from Rs22,000 to Rs200,000.

Farooqi’s works are on display at the World Bank IMF Building USA, Smithsonian Institute USA, Press Museum Istanbul, Lahore Museum, Directorate General Civil Defence Islamabad, Pakistan’s Consulate General in Istanbul and PN Staff College Karachi. Almost 20 of his paintings have been displayed in the foreign ministry in Islamabad, while 80 pieces have been contributed by the artist for Sheikh Zaid Hospital in Lahore and another 20 have been put up at the Arab Security Centre in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

“This is a particularly special event for the people of Islamabad, who appreciate art. The finesse of his work is exquisite,” said Nomad Art Gallery Director Nageen Hyat.

Shafique Farooqi has been described by art critics as a “compassionate artist”.

“My paintings are formed out of my impressions, observations and my emotional experiences. I see reality as an endless process of conflicts and decisions. The tonality of experience can never be resolved in a definite way. The texture of life is like the surface of a block of clay, it is shaped and molded by the circumstances of daily conflicts, personal and collective catastrophes and individual questioning,” said the artist, explaining how his work lived on this quest.

While each work stands out, the impressions of rural landscapes are especially attractive.

His lines, while relying on the calligraphic flow, rhythm and movement, create images that translate his intuitive perception of reality.

Symbols like labyrinths, birds, fauna, and images vaguely representative of human figures occur recurrently in the array of his series.

His paintings have given something creative to his age and in this lies his own fulfillment and satisfaction as an artist.The display will run till August 19.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2014