ISLAMABAD, June 27: Nomad Gallery has launched a summer show that casts a diverse flavour and range of art for a variety of art lovers. From Arjumand Awan to Mughees Riaz and the relatively younger Hanif Abdul, abstract and realistic paintings decorated the walls of the gallery.

Within its short space, Nageen Hyatt, the owner of the gallery, had managed to put together the works of seven artists.

Arjumand Awan displayed two mix media abstracts with dripping lines of black in the background of yellows and blues among other colours. For Awan, abstract style has come after two decades of doing realistic work and mastering the basics of art – and now, “in abstraction, I paint what comes from within,” he explained.

He explained that even though abstract works do not take a recognisable form, they are derived from what an artist feels based on the context and environment around him – and the interpretation of each work is for the viewer to decide.

Asadur Rehman, a French abstract expressionist painter of Pakistani origin, could only contribute one piece to the exhibition, but it stood out in its uniqueness. Bold strokes, mostly of black, formed the background for other colours, but even so the black stayed dominant giving a unique brooding look to a painting not often visible in the local art scene.

A similar, yet different, work was visible in a series of Hanif Abdul with a whole wall dedicated to his warmly shaded abstracts. “Even though these are all abstracts, Abdul’s work is based on the sea world and recognisable forms can be noticed throughout his work as he captures the sea’s energies and movement,” explained Ms Hyatt.

Zia Zahid, who also contributed two pieces in mix media, took a familiar eastern approach to his work, delving into the spiritual and private to express his feelings. “One of these works is from the dome series,” explained Mr Zahid.

The dome, in his work juxtaposed with a moon covered with a hand-stain, highlighted the hypocrisy that very often becomes visible in society in the name of religion or righteousness.

For Zahid too, art is a form of capturing all that is wrong with our entirely twisted society, in ways that can be digested and thought about.

The exhibition also contained the works of Tabassum Rizvi, beautiful landscapes and scenic paintings by Mughees Riaz and prints by Anjum Ayub.