ISLAMABAD: A group show of artworks featuring five promising artists from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan opened at Nomad Gallery on Saturday.

The ‘Absence of the Present’ is a collection of provocative yet unique art, unraveling root causes of conflicts, violence, human miseries, angst and indignation afflicting societies in the South Asian region alike.

“The artists have subtly reflected on common issues and innovative solutions for creating peace and understanding in the region,” said Nageen Hyat, director of Nomad Gallery.

Curated by promising artist Eemaan Raja, the works by Mohammad Shahab Eslami, Mohsin Taasha, Sivasubramanium Kajindran, Sadquain and Resham Javid depict conflicts, human sufferings and existential crisis.

The theme shows the indifference of people towards certain problematic issues in our region and societies, the curator said.

“Selection of the artists and their works has been done carefully focusing on the subtlety and strong visuals,” Ms Eemaan noted who is also an alumni of BNU and plans to leave for Germany next month to pursue her two years’ master’s degree in curation and public art.

Talking to Dawn about her debut work as curator, she said: “It has been a rough ride but after five months we have been able to put together this show.”

Kabul-based artist Mohsen Taasha’s four paintings ‘Rebirth of Red Series 2’ in watercolour on wasli paper depict the sufferings that his people had been through for decades. He has created a link between the art, history and culture of the Hazara ethnic minority community.

He graduated from Kabul Fine Arts Institute in 2010 and did his bachelors in visual art from Beaconhouse National University (BNU) Lahore in 2017. He participated in a number of solo and group shows in Germany, Italy, the US and Lebanon.

He has used a novel way of telling stories about the unheard voices. The ‘Rebirth of Reds’ movement aims at keeping alive the fond memories of all those who became victims of the extremism, violence and state repression.

Jaffna-based artist Sivasubramanium Kajindran’s two giant paintings showing headless figures in military attire shows the effects of over-imposed security in society. He has painted different moments and the toll of conflict on human psyche and society.

“These moments of experience have been recorded in my memory through my ears, eyes and nose for the last three decades by both natural disaster and Sri Lanka’s conflicts,” he said.Mohammad Shahab Eslami is a progressive artist. Born in 1991 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, he migrated to Tehran with his family where he learnt film-making at Azad Film Cinema Institute.

Mr Eslami took up camera and started photography and has been producing and recording a wide range of photomontage and minimalistic work since 2011.

His current digital prints series are collage of photographs and newspaper text showing the violence and grief of the people of Afghanistan. He focuses on photomontage and contemporary photography to create a linguistic unity.

Sadquain is a graphic designer and teacher who believes in freedom of expression, art for life and innovation in art by mixing technology with art.

“Art comes from life and should depict realities of life, question taboo subjects,” Sadquain noted. He went on to say that art is what people should relate to and get engaged in conversation.

The Lahore-based artist did his graduation in graphic design from GC University Faisalabad in 2012 but later inclined towards fine art.

He got admission in NCA Lahore to pursue his passion and started teaching at BNU and University of Culture and Art, Lahore.

Sadquain’s shadow series two and four done in prints on paper and a large artwork done in motor, wood and fleece fabric is a unique depiction of feeling of human physical touch on a body part.

Resham Javid is a Lahore-based visual artist. Her work is self-reflection, recall of childhood memory, her dreams and uncertainty about life and suffocating environment for a young girl. She has used black and green colours profusely.

She has been working as a freelance artist after graduating from BNU in 2017.

The show will remain open till August 10.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2019