ISLAMABAD: An art exhibition featuring the work of four artists that showcased cultural diversity, ancient architectural heritage, mysticism and more opened at the Nomad Gallery on Saturday.

Titled Jhalak, the exhibition featured 19 paintings with a variety of themes.

The gallery’s director and curator Nageen Hayat said the works were “fabulous and striking”.

Three pieces on display were by Masood A. Khan, done in acrylic, ink, and gouache on paper.

Mr Khan said he has adopted a new vocabulary of realism with translucent lines and layers as “transparency is the quintessence of naked reality, it remains constant on the surfaces with a blend of feelings I express reality around through”.

He said in a statement: “In the remote recesses of my subconscious lies an effort to create a spiritual climate that touches the heart.”

Mr Khan, who works primarily with ink, charcoal, acrylic and silk paint on wasli, is known for his style of creating thin transparent layered washes of watercolor on paper.

“In my works, I have peeled off, layer by layer, the fables that determine our lives. This is a conscious attempt to reflect in paintings, what lies beneath and beyond the levels and reels that condition our attitudes and obligations not just to each other … that undermine the very foundations of society,” he said.

Artist Ahmed Habib said: “The work reflects the artist’s personality. He does not believe in boundaries and hurdles. His thoughts are universal and humanistic.”

Also on display were four pieces by G.N. Qazi done in charcoal on paper and one colour painting in acrylic on paper, which was a refreshing shift from his earlier work.

Tayyaba Aziz’s three older paintings from her ‘Time’ series and 10 new works in acrylic and oil on canvas received mixed reviews from guests and artists.

“Tayyaba’s work shows her maturity and command on the tone and texture. She has used full palettes with vibrant colours. However, some images are disproportionate and overshadow the surrounding objects and spaces,” Mr Habib said.

Another artist said some of her paintings seemed noisy.

Ms Aziz’ pieces were very bold and vibrant. The images depict femininity, power and the confidence of a woman challenging the viewer to engage in dialogue with her, as in a big horizontal painting showing a bald woman playing the flute.

“I always depict the powerful image of a woman full of energy and confidence,” Ms Aziz said.

She described herself as an abstract cubo-expressionist and, while discussing her ‘Time’ series, said: “Time is what keeps everything from happening at once. We always compare our present experiences to our fading memories of the past. I show psychological time in a complex manner, tangled in a drapery of past experiences.”

Mudassir Iqbal skillfully depicted the power and energy of rural life in the Potohar region in one of his pieces on display, as well as the movements and spirituality of mysticism in another of a whirling dervish.

The exhibition will remain on display until Oct 8.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2019