Almost two decades since its radical inception the contemporary miniature continues to thrive as a viable medium. Characterised by innovation, the genre depends on the creative and technical proficiency of its practitioners to uphold its vitality. Heera Khan features among the recent crop of miniature artists whose work holds promise. Her current exhibition, All That Glisters is Not Gold, showing at Chawkandi Art Gallery is a striking mix of portraiture, floral pattern and gold applications.

The exhibited work relates to the hollow existence of the super-rich and their preoccupation with self. The subjects in the expose are older ladies and the fashion-conscious, trendy ‘aunties’ who like to surround themselves with material wealth. A lavish use of gold leaf highlights their ornate, superfluous lifestyle.

Blurring the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation Khan mixes the technical precision of miniature art with Western realism. Her paintings of contemporary figures and floral patterns are a fusion of photorealism and intricate miniature art. Emphasising facial expressions, mood and personality, she paints portraits/figures of elderly women enjoying their affluence or digressing into a stupor. Colourful background patterns, primarily floral, make specific reference to textiles and decorative patterns of various cultures, from brocade and damask silk to traditional block prints.

Heera Khan’s miniatures depict the hollow existence of the super-rich and their preoccupation with the self

In a culture where youth and beauty are prized for their charm and allure, taking depictions of older women as a subject is a shift from the norm. In attempting an age-specific characterisation to comment on the deception behind the glamour the artist’s life-like portrayals also reveal the psychological problems of old age. These images are about the failure to deceive and the compulsion to do so. The artist’s sophisticated old ladies are touched by a more understated artifice. Despite their well maintained surface that is their solution to age, the unexpected impression that Khan evokes in these ladies’ appearance is one of poignant frailty. There is an unspoken tension beneath the surface of these portraits, and their compelling engagement with the dilemma of ageing. Her art exposes human folly but also identifies this all too human plight of advancing age and the kind of desperation that comes with it.

Using gold as a symbol for affluence is well-handled by the artist. Its patterned profusion creates instant impact. However, integrating human figures and patterns into a cohesive whole is an art by itself and Khan still needs to work on this aspect of her compositions. Well-known American artist Kehinde Wiley is among the few who have mastered this juxtaposition to great effect. His signature style is built around an almost photo-realistically rendered foreground figure, the skin alive with light and shade and a flamboyantly patterned, defiantly colourful background, where repeating whorls creep past the foreground figure like vines.

Khan’s skills depend on her ability to discern and capture the personalities of her subjects and she renders decorative designs with dexterity. It is easier for artists to engage in bold experiments when they have sound working skills. Daring thematic choices and a stronger composition sense can heighten the impact of her miniatures. The advantage of well-positioned but jarring juxtapositions is that they immediately provide a discourse that is at once visceral and cerebral in scope.

“All That Glisters is Not Gold” was displayed at the Chawkani Art Gallery from November 21 to November 28, 2017

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 10th, 2017