KARACHI: In recent times the phrase ‘behind the scenes’ has assumed great political significance. Usually it implies something happening in a secret way with conspiratorial connotations. The fact is that it can be applied to any walk of life for any kind of discussion. For example, toady the acronym BTS is widely used in showbiz.
A group show titled Behind the Scenes (BTS), which was concluded on Thursday at the Full Circle Gallery, touches upon the same subject, which is mainly to do with the art community because its sub-heading is — a sketchbook project.
Isn’t it intriguing since to use a sketchbook alongside the main artwork is the most basic of art practices? This implies that the display aims to unearth the creative process, which is uniquely individualistic for every person, or how creativity helps an artist complete an idea for conveyance.
The curators of the show — Ayesha Waseem, Muhammad Khubaib and Kashaf Rathore — state: “We have all wondered how a writer comes up with such creative ideas, how a philosopher conjures up answers to meaningful questions and how an artist creates their masterpiece. This show is a form of self expression in a safe space with a variety of ideologies. People with different personalities and backgrounds come together to show you what happens behind the curtains.”
The interesting thing is that when an exhibit is put on display, it loses all its curious elements that may have gone into its making. Now it’s for the viewer to decide whether the painting succeeds in putting across the feeling or message that the artist in his/her behind the scenes location tried to create.
If truth be told, in the case of the ongoing show, the artists do succeed in a noteworthy way. While their sketchbooks reveal how they use their craft, their paintings give away how they bare their souls to give a physical shape to their creations.
The participating artists in the exhibition were: Ayesha Waseem, Kashaf Rathore, Muhammad Khubaib, Marium Mansoor, Ahsan Ahmed, Yusra Taqi, S M Raza, Nayab Noor, Umaimah Khan, Halah Khan, Ali Saad, Buland Iqbal and Shazma Arshad.
Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2022
