Born in 1955, Ejaz Malik appears to be quite the Renaissance Man with his myriad talents and fields of expertise. Archi­tecture, interior and furniture design, in addition to painting and sculpture are areas which he has delved in with aplomb. Though now settled in Lahore, he spent most of his youthful years in France, enriching himself with knowledge and experiences.

Malik did his Masters in interior design from the prestigious Ecole des Arts Decoratifs (EnsAD), Paris and also made significant contribution to educational institutions in Pakistan. Prominent in these achievements are his setting up of the department of interior design at the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, and his role in the establishment of the department of architecture and interior design at Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore.

It is with this distinguished background in mind that one approached Malik’s sculpture pieces, which were displayed at Lahore’s Nairang Art Gallery. The selection of subjects by the artist is indicative of a literary mind in search of inspiring personas and narratives. Rabindranath Tagore, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Asadullah Khan Ghalib, Saadat Hasan Manto, Sadequain, Pathanay Khan, Dr Mubarak Ali and Nayyar Ali Dada are some of the distinguished individuals he has chosen to represent through a three-dimensional artistic vision. He attempts to combine realism with symbolism, so that not only the facial features of his subjects are represented but also the essence of what they stood for or contributed is brought forth.

Ejaz Malik’s sculptures combine old world realism with the overt use of symbols and calligraphy to create a narrative peculiar to his chosen subject

It is interesting to see how some of the sculpted busts combine two or more different views of one individual, and also contain objects that have a symbolic or even literal meaning. For example, Tagore’s double portrait in fibre glass attempts to capture both his spiritual and mercurial nature through the different facial expressions in both. Amalgamating the two faces is an onerous pile of sculpted books, which reaches to the top of this creation.

Faiz is also represented in a double portrait that is flanked by bird forms inscribed with his poetry. Imbued with hues of yellow and gold, this fibre glass sculpture stands out as one of the livelier pieces amidst the more pensive and dark monochrome works. An impressive example of this latter variety is the sculpture representing artist Sadequain. The viewer can instantly relate to it as a tribute to the great painter, whose personal angst found an outlet in his prolific and monumental works. Again, a double portrait amalgamates symbols and images from Sadequain’s art to create a unique sculpture piece.

Pathanay Khan’s image is another such poignant representation in grey cement, with shades of mottled green, while Nayyar Ali Dada’s characteristic smile is adroitly captured and his contribution to architecture indicated through the block-like structures around him.

Malik’s sculptures combine Old World realism with the overt use of symbols and even calligraphy, to create a narrative peculiar to his chosen subject. An understanding of their life and times is as important to the artist as their physical manifestation which give his sculpted creations an aura of authenticity.

“Portraits and Beyond” was held at the Nairang Gallery in Lahore from December 9 till December 25, 2017

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 31st, 2017