ISLAMABAD: Husband-wife duo Tariq Kakar and Natalia Boichenko-Tariq on Monday presented an exhibition of sculptures and paintings depicting life in the many cultures they have lived in. The show was hosted by the Ukrainian embassy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador of Ukraine Volodymyr Lakomov said: “Tariq is a monument sculptor and as you know the Soviet Union was famous for its monuments with the huge sculptures of Lenin and warriors and so on.

“Tariq added a lot of Pakistani spirit and his own feelings to his work. His monumentalist figures are as if they are alive.

“They have a very special human touch. His wife, Madame Natalia is doing very fine paintings representing the various cultures she belongs to, the Ukrainian culture, the Moldavian culture and the Pakistani culture.”

Mr Kakar had brought a diverse collection of bronze and brass three dimensional and relief sculptures with a few pieces in fibre glass and aluminium.

“I normally make realistic sculptures, large monuments of 20, 30 feet in steel, copper and brass,” he said.

Many of his pieces in the collection on display were stylized and realistic representations of horses and camels although the human form too had found expression.

Describing an abstract sculpture, he added: “I’ve understood abstract as if giving a gift. If you look at this abstract sculpture, you see I have used a large lapis lazuli stone in the centre. The shorter curve on the left depicts a child, while the larger one on the right is the mother and at the heart is the stone, the connection.”

Natalia Boichenko-Tariq’s work comprised of light-filled canvases with realistic subjects who clearly had links to the different cultures the artist relates to. Her work, typically portraying a single subject, is filled with light, allowing the viewer to respond to each piece on an emotional plane.

The highlighted figures against floral backdrops lift the paintings as well as the spirit.

The interplay of light with the less bright spaces on Natalia’s canvases creates interesting depth. Her paintings are studies of humanity, without political undertones, as she uses meticulous attention to detail to create a sense of natural beauty as the backdrop to individual human portraits.

Interestingly, for all the diversity in medium and subject, both artists create a sense of movement in their works. They both also pay close attention to the silhouette.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2018