ISLAMABAD: Hussain Chandio does not just bring with him captivating paintings but takes viewers on a cultural trip to his home town.

Having a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Sindh, Hussain Chandio has been exhibiting his works in group and solo exhibitions. However this was his first solo exhibition in Islamabad.

Gallery 6 introduced Hussain Chandio to art lovers of the twin cities by putting on display his works on Friday.

On the opening day of the exhibition titled ‘Journey’, Chandio told visitors that he drew his inspiration from his surroundings. In this exhibition, he added that his subjects were Sindhi men and women in traditional dresses.

Discussing the theme of ‘Journey’, Sana Shahid, the assistant curator of the gallery, said: “The most interesting aspect about Chandio’s work is the movement in every scene. The scenes that he paints are not static; rather they all have people moving - whether it is on a motorbike, a tonga (horse drawn cart), boat or on foot.”

Hussain Chandio seems to have an unusual eye when it comes to observation, command on his technique and understanding of his theme, Sana Shahid added.

His works present scenes drawn from infrequent angles, a characteristic that distinguishes his paintings from others.

Commenting on his work, the artist elaborated that if he had preferred a standard viewpoint, it would have been injustice with his creativity.

Hussain Chandio prefers acrylics over any other medium. He balances out the overall feel of the painting by giving the appropriate breathing space to the compositions and using grey as a background colour to give depth to the bright vibrant dresses of the figures.

All the techniques in his exciting aerial scenes show that the artist has painted not only with his hands but his heart as well.

The 27 paintings in the exhibition are aesthetically striking with the tones and shades of grey creating an effect of distance. The exhibition will continue till August 8.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2015

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