KARACHI: The excessive use of technology, especially during these pandemic-hit times, has raised many soul-searching questions. But the topic that an exhibition titled Past Present Future which is under way at the Koel Art Gallery has chosen for art lovers to mull over in connection with technological advancement is rather interesting: looking at works of art through small electronic devices.

The curators of the group show — R.M. Naeem and Nurayah Sheikh Nabi — elucidate the idea in a well-phrased note: “In the current virtual world, the accessibility and the experience of viewing an art work in smaller formats through our gadgets is a constant. The show looks at two sizes to bridge the gap between experiencing a work of art physically and seeing it on a digital platform. The significance of the distinct sizes stipulated for the show is of relevance to both the artist and the viewer, in terms of the actual experience, movability and accessibility. The selected artists from across Pakistan were requested to work within these two sizes [square and postcard].”

So, ostensibly, it all boils down to the dimensions. That’s not entirely the case, though. The two dimensions here are used as framework, at least that’s the feeling that one gets while looking at the paintings on display.

It is hard to describe how more than two dozen artists have dealt with the theme. What can be said with a great deal of certainty is that they’ve done justice to it. Be it the young Nazia Gull with her delicately reflective ‘Golden Ratio’ (acrylic and glitter on canvas) and ‘The Blue Pocket’ (acrylic on paper) or the seasoned Ayaz Jokhio’s untitled pieces (acrylic and oil canvas), the ideas — within the box and postcard — range from the deeply personal to the profoundly metaphysical. They press the point home that dimensions only matter when they’re used to encapsulate subjects that go beyond them.

The exhibition, which will conclude on April 21, marks the beginning of Koel Gallery and O Art Space’s collaborative venture.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2021