ARTISTS are a restless lot. The insatiable urge to seek is ingrained in them. To that end, they push the boundaries of their abilities as far as they can. A two-person show titled ‘Seeking Paradise’ curated by Humayun Memon, which is under way at the Koel Art Gallery, is a manifestation of a similar urge.

The artists who have put their artworks on view in the exhibition are Ayesha Shariff and Faizan Riedinger. Ostensibly, their search stems from different mediums and different ideas. But then, if the destination is the same, how can the journey be any different? One only needs to have a deeper understanding of the creative process in order to enjoy what went along in the journey.

Ayesha focuses on pomegranates using a decent variety of media – coffee, acrylic and oil on canvas. Very smartly, she doesn’t let the viewer work hard on the interpretation of her work because she gives her remarkable exhibits’ names such as ‘Scarlet Desire’, ‘Nuggets of Wisdom’, ‘Map of Her Heart’ and ‘The Pink Secret’ etc. She is aware of the fact that the viewer knows the multiple symbolism of the pomegranate. Some examples: fertility, desire and its spiritual use in renaissance paintings. However, and again, the word ‘seeking’ in the rubric of the show gives away the basis for creating such splendid pieces: longing.

That’s not it, though. Ayesha’s subject matter is delightfully diverse. ‘Crossing the Line’ will endorse the claim. And even there, the ‘seeker’ in her never halts for a moment.

Faizan, on the other hand, as if providing the perfect counterbalance to the display, deals in shadows. The two artists are not trying to have a kind of interplay between the tangible and the intangible. Rather, they are showing two important sides of life – the physical and that which surpasses it.

Faizan’s art is marked by finesse and sensitivity. The curator in his statement has used the right word for the artist’s style: meditative. It is more than evident in works such as ‘Hybridisation’ and ‘The Bridge II’ (archival ink, acrylic, German glue on canvas). As a viewer you will look at them, and then you will not take much time to look within you.

The exhibition concludes on Oct 20.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2021