ISLAMABAD: A captivating show of the latest artwork by Karachi-based artist Abid Hasan is continuing at Gallery 6.

The exhibition, which opened on Friday, displays paintings which tell the story of metamorphic and geomorphic processes and layered intrusions of the earth’s crust through intricate and vibrant colours.

The title of the show ‘Scintillating Allegories’, poetic though, very aptly explains the unique exhibit that was inaugurated by CEO of Baltoro Partners Ali Saigol, who is a patron and an ardent art lover.

He was amazed by the intricate art, skills and knowledge of the artists and the curator about geoscience.

Mr Hasan’s latest oeuvre of work from his series of ‘Ultrafamic Rocks’, ‘Petrification Magnificence’, ‘Crust-mantle and Core’, ‘Stardust’ and ‘Permineralisation’, ‘From Ordovician Period’ and ‘Rooting for Us’ compels the viewers to delve into the depth of the intricate designs, colours and textures to understand the hidden landscape and changes occurring beneath the crust.

The artist’s expressionist abstract art, comprising 28 paintings and collages in mixed media on canvas, shows his maturity and artistic sensibilities.

He has created his own style by adopting the most difficult technique using chemicals through oxidisation of colours on gold and silver leaves on canvas.

Discussing the philosophy of his current artworks with Dawn, Abid said: “My artwork does not describe the visible clichéd landscapes, but the invisible and undiscovered insides of our world.

“Everything needed for life is embedded in nature; what we need the most is to discover and invent ways to make better and judicious use of them for the well-being of humanity,” he exhorted.

The inside of the earth has been made with layers of rock, water and a world of species and materials.

“The evolution of Abid’s artistic journey is amazing. Over the years he has not only become an established painter, but also works as interior designer,” commented Dr Arjumand Faisel, an established artist, social activist and curator.

The compositions are outstanding, intense, energetic and lively, reflecting an inner powerful voice that cannot remain unheard, he added.

These astonishing, enticing hues visually demonstrate the magnificence of making statements in a colourful way, which shows the sensitive spirit that lives within the artist.

This is Abid’s sixth solo exhibition at the Gallery 6 in the last 11 years, which is a reflection of his admiration among the art lovers in the twin cities, commented Dr Arjumand.

The artist’s attachment with the twin cities is because he was born in Rawalpindi and graduated from Gordon College. He then did his Bachelors in Fine Arts from Karachi School of Arts in 1996. He has also served his alma mater as a visiting faculty member where he taught drawing.

Explaining about his unique technique, the curator said the painstaking process in the development of each exquisite painting has five steps. The reaction of oxidising agents on silver and gold creates enticing textures, on which he overlays paints to produce compositions.

The complexity and variety of compositions could be observed in his latest paintings, he said.

In the ‘Living On An Onion Planet’ the inside of the earth is layered extensively and separately, yet every layer diffuses with each other. With the warm pink and earthy tones, the aesthetically pleasing design has been put inside the earth and thus it can be said that not just the exterior but the interior of the planet that we live on is created with great awe.

In the ‘Voyage Within’ he has highlighted a journey within a person’s inner self, a voyage within the earth we live on is necessary to explore its potential, the amount of energy it has, and the extent to which it is self-reliant and self-sustaining.

Abid is a serious painter who comes up with variable themes and deals with them successfully, said the curator.

For example, in ‘Noor-e-Sehr’, he illustrated Faiz’s poetry in an eloquent way, in ‘Buzzing Bellows’ he has dealt with the undercurrent whisperings, hounding bellows and outrageous events that were taking place all over the country in early 2018, and in the current work he is dealing with inner landscapes of the earth.

The exhibition will continue till February 26 from 11am to 7pm, including Sundays.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2020