KARACHI: An exhibition that’s part of the 1st International Watercolour Society (IWS) Biennale shown in March this year at the Centre of Excellence in Art and Design, Jamshoro, opens today (Aug 10) at the Artscene Gallery. It contains works of 189 artists representing 37 countries.

For watercolour lovers, a remarkable array of paintings is on display. And to know that they come from countries as culturally varied and politically different as Iraq and Sweden or Argentina and Bangladesh makes the show doubly delightful. The first group of artworks is from Azerbaijan. The set of images speaks volumes for the sharp eye for detail that artists from this part of the world have, the foremost example of it is an exhibit called ‘Sad Old Man’ by Intigam Jafarov. It is an interesting portrait mainly because it does not have the translucence that one generally expects from a watercolour piece, instead the emotiveness is so striking that the viewer does not think much about the medium or the technique employed by the artist and just tries to empathise with the character in the picture.

That’s where the show assumes contextual significance: characterisation. While the sceneries and ambient sights dominate the exhibition, it is the way that the artists have tried to depict men and women which lends uniqueness to the whole exercise. For this writer, the piece ‘Scheherazade’ by Egyptian watercolourist Eman Osama Mohamed Salem stands out. All followers of art have an image of Scheherazade in their minds (in some cases, hearts). The one that Eman conjures is distinct in the sense that it plays on the innocence of the individual more than anything else. The flowers do the trick for her and make her look like a story, not a storyteller.

Swedish artist Stanislaw Zoladz super-impresses with his use of light in his two artworks ‘Rocky Beach’ and ‘Lofotan’. In the latter, the snow-covered valley gets enlivened by the light that brightens the foreground and mystifies the background, as if it’s a symbol of life’s two-facedness.

Taking symbolism a notch higher is ‘Sombreros de Sihuas’ by Aquiles Rondan from Peru. The hats in the artwork are its leitmotif. This means the recurrence of the idea that one has already experienced or known. History repeats itself, only if one knows it.

The show titled Pearls of Peace will continue till Aug 13.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2016