ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of contemporary prints, titled ‘Entanglement 2016’ opened at the Nomad Art Gallery on Saturday, and featured the works of seven artists from Fatima Jinnah Women’s University (FJWU).

The group show’s participants included Anam Ahmed, Aqsa Javaid, Fatima Sajid, Mehwish Ikran, Momal Masood, Ramsha Ikhlaq and Saima Jamil.

Gallery director Nageen Hyat said the show’s narratives were reflections of the obstacles facing women and girls in a patriarchal society, stories of enlightenment and the progression of time and the measure of changes in a woman’s life.

Ms Ahmed discussed change and the progression of time through facial expressions. She said precious minutes create a whole life, and wrinkles are signs of the development of age as well as of experience and close perceptions of time. She called aging, and wrinkles, an unavoidable wonder.

“This concept, the understanding of the apparent lines and those hidden, will be reflected through my visual art pieces. My work will be done using intaglio printmaking procedures with which I will entwine other printmaking strategies,” she said.

Ms Javaid captured the marks old settlements have left in Punjab, and their impact on culture, religion and politics. Her prints depict the ancient forts of the Punjab region, such as the Lahore fort, Rawat fort, Rohtas fort, Sheikhupura fort and so on.

Ms Ikram was inspired by her own memories – her series was titled ‘Narratives of My Life’ – and events were compacted into a single image that signifies something that has already happened or is about to happen.

Meanwhile, Ms Masood was inspired by the FJWU’s main building, which was built in the Victorian style by Mohan and Sohan Singh. She preserved the historical architecture in her prints.

“It became the presidency of Pakistan around the mid-1960s. The buildings are steeped in history. Personas like Benazir Bhutto and President Ziaul Haq have wandered its corridors,” she said, sharing her fascination with architecture.

Ms Ikhlaq’s prints reflect daily obstacles facing female students in society. “I face difficulties many times, and truly understand and regard women in the very same position. The main purpose of my work, thus, is to portray this struggle and motivate female students that achieving their goals is difficult but not impossible,” she said.

Ms Jamil, who took up art after a decade-long break, said she aimed to depict the metamorphosis in the life of a stereotypical ‘housewife’.

“It is based on personal experiences that can be generalized to the whole community of housewives in our society. It shows how a woman’s understanding of the world changes, as well as some liberating experiences. It will also show how it can change various attitudes and enable us to overcome many negative aspects in our behaviour.

The exhibition will run until Oct 6.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2016