LAHORE, May 29: The Alhamra Art Center, The Mall, remained a thriving place on Tuesday evening as a large number of people graced two art shows and a cultural night in the honour of an Iranian delegation.

The evening swung open its art scene to the folks from the Fine Arts, with a colourful exhibition by Yasmin Bokhari, a US-based artist and more importantly an artist who started her work from Ana Molka Ahmed’s studio, a landmark figure in art education.

Ms Bokhari, explaining the idea and objective behind holding an art show, said: “The title of my exhibition is ‘Colours of Divine’ and through this showcasing I would like to convey a message to the humanity that the colours of the Divine are all around us and we should perceive and absorb them in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we bring peace, joy and harmony to this earth where too much negativity prevails.”

The artist’s passion for flowers could well be gauged through different floral paintings. There were parrots, flowers, portraits, landscapes, city-scapes but all draped in rich, bright, eye-catching colours.

In the next door gallery at the Alhamra Art Center, Kinnaird College students had a lot to offer in terms of some thought-provoking miniature works and paintings.

The group of 10 BFA students was visibly overjoyed to the response of common visitors, their families and friends over a successful and first showcasing of their works. The exhibition was inaugurated by National College of Arts Principal Sajjad Kausar.

Kinnaird College Principal Rukhsana David told Dawn “though the college started the Fine Arts Department in 2001 with only Intermediate Art classes, it quickly progressed to offer a four-year Bachelors Degree in 2003 and since then the department has continued to expand and now offers a major not only in painting and sculpture but also in miniature painting.”

The exhibition brought together the works of the sixth batch to graduate from the college. The works on display revolved around personal narratives which were broadly gender-specific and dealt with themes having contemporary relevance.

Anum Nadeem, Sirah Ali, Momina Rehman, Beenish Javaid and Sajal Zahid were the students who exhibited miniature works. Ansa Asif, Anum Iftikhar, Nazia Qamer, Safa Asif and Madiha Butt put on display paintings.

Momina Rehman’s miniatures titled ‘Broken and Repaired’ were based on the fact about the existence of women, that a woman tends to depend on man rather than her own self and only when surrounded by completed darkness she realises her own strength.

To Sirah Ali, in her artwork ‘Blessing in Disguise’ the reward of suffering is more worthwhile, if one has faith in God Almighty. Sajal Zahid through her miniature painting ‘Prejudice’ tried to convey that boundaries and restrictions put on teenagers by the elders provide the suitable stage where they could perform narrowing down the chances of failure.

Beenish Javed in her artwork ‘Discovery’ has found a way through trash of colours. “I just threw my colours randomly with an ordinary aggressive approach; it could have been a mess, but I found my way in this trash of colours.”

Anum Nadeem’s artwork ‘Being in Nothingness’ was based on the pathos within the innocent souls of children who strive to make through atrocities of life.

In the painting section, Nazia Qamar’s ‘Free Souls and Empty Shadows’ was a tribute to acid victims.

Madiha Butt’s ‘Illusions in the Dark’ was the portrayal of perceptions and reflections of the things she feels and sees in the dark. Ansa Asif’s ‘Different Perspectives’ was based on the point that people think differently and have diverse opinions.

Anum Iftikhar’s ‘An Allegory to my Homeland’ was the sum up of what she feels and sees around her which she captured in her canvass.

Saffa Asif’s ‘The Dancing Designs’ was fascinated with the designs that occur on different objects with the changing light and heat. The final leg of cultural journey at Alhamra on Tuesday ended on a melodious note. The cultural night for the Iranian delegation led by Governor of Faris Engineer Hussain Sadiq Abidin was adorned with music and singing.

Culture Secretary Muhayyudin Wani and LAC Executive Director Muhammad Ali Baloch greeted the Iranian delegation.

The night opened with an instrumental performance. Ustad Latif Khan played on sitar in Raag Darbari Ameer Khusro’s Kalam ‘Yar-i-man Piya Piya’. A fully responsive audience gave a thunderous round of applause to sitar player.

Second was the singing by Hina Nasrullah, a young singer, who sang Allama Iqbal’s ‘Ye Gumbad-i-Menai Ye Alam-i-Tanhaie’. The final presentation of the night was a qawwali by Salamat Naushad.