ISLAMABAD: An exciting exhibition of minimalist paintings titled La Perfection Imparfaite (The Imperfect Perfection) opened on Saturday at 8B2, a new gallery that recently opened in Chak Shahzad.

The exhibition showcases Xandria Noir’s work that she made during the lockdown in 2020 and after it. The works, done in acrylic and oil, ink on paper and giclèe prints are an outcome of two years of personal experiences after the pandemic began.

Ms Noir skilfully painted simple and straight lines coupled with geometric shapes, a popular style adopted in minimalist paintings; the genre became popular in the late 50s. Syed Jamal Shah, a noted sculptor, musician, playwright and head of Hunerkada, described Xandria as “a sensitive abstract impressionist artist with a flair for surface treatment”.

“Her work is minimalist with an interesting visual vocabulary of significant sensitivity. Her recent surfaces are layered with a pallet of muted colours which are broken by conical shapes of contrasting colours which indicates a departure from her previous work and heading towards new possibilities or changes,” he added.

Noir relocated to Islamabad from Karachi just before the outbreak of Covid-19 and her paintings depict the trauma she went through as a result of the pandemic.

“My work reflects what I am. I am a minimalist. I have a few pairs of clothes and sandals. I do not adore any kind of jewellery, or buy any decoration piece. I hate luxury and branded items and avoid going to the market unnecessarily for shopping,” she told Dawn.

About the use of dominant black and white colours in her paintings, she said:“Black and white helps me to express myself better, minimally. To me, life is black and white, very simple and basic. Simplicity brings happiness. Unfortunately, people make life and everything complicated by adding desires and expectations to it.”

The paintings were displayed on a perforated bricks façade inside a secluded farmhouse, away from the noise of the city.

Born in Karachi, she initially practised abstract figures, landscapes and calligraphy on wood, canvas, paper and pottery but after an eight-year-long gap, she resumed her work on large scale canvases emphasising bold black strokes in conjunction with bright colours.

Some of her works from between 2013 and 2014 were inspired by the works of Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock.

Xandria’s work is characterised by spontaneity as she believes in freedom of expression. She juxtaposes ugliness with beauty, anguish with hope aiming to create harmony in the viewer’s mind.

Abstraction in her work is the rhythm conveyed through interrelation of empty space and the repetition of the same stroke under multiple layers.

She was named one of Pakistan’s top 15 minimalist artists in December 2019 following her show Moi et le Monde Imparfaite (Me and my imperfect world) at the French Embassy in Islamabad.

The show will continue till Oct 7.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2021