Departure from life, although is an inevitable phenomenon, however, a few prodigious souls depart sooner than what one would imagine. For some unknown reason these souls have an uncanny inkling that they are running out of time; hence they hasten to clear a backlog of rare ideas. With a similar premonition as if, Usman Ghouri had started working on numerous art ventures, but destiny made its mysterious move, and without a hint, brought his passionate creativity to a grinding halt!

Deeply touched by the untimely flight of Ghouri, the artist’s bereaved wife and the art community decided to build upon his unfinished works. Hence 67 artists of considerable repute opted to graft their styles to that of Ghouri’s and produced remarkable hybrids with his fragmentary paintings, prints, ceramics, metal works and textiles.

The ensuing 94 works, executed in a rich variety of media, were exhibited recently at the Koel Art Gallery, Karachi, titled as ‘Usman aur mein’, the sale proceeds of which, according to the curator, will be gifted for a noble cause.

While strolling through the paintings, sculptures and installations the subject of fish, water, conical forms and spotted matrices, rendered in the most innovative styles and compositions, frequently meet the eye.

The reason for this is Ghouri’s own infatuation with the aquatic species that portrays the concept of the ancient myth that ‘life emerges from water’. Ghouri’s use of cones and circular objects feigning polka dots is also seen in most of the participating artists’ paintings.

R. M. Naeem’s captivating composition ‘Hahahaha’ in acrylics on oblong canvas, for instance, has been composed in four segments with arrayed dots in three and a self-portrait in one, thus reincarnating Ghouri’s perceptions and the perpetuation of his distinguished legacy.

In certain cultures, the fish is considered a feminine symbol of fertility and water as an authoritative domain of the female goddess. Striving to accentuate the gift of life, Ghouri resorted to powerful symbolism in order to douse the creative fervour that simmered at the core of his heart. A man of few words, he was candid and sure in what he said abundantly in the language of drawing, painting and sculpting.

The exhibition boasts a rare combination of leading national and internationally acclaimed artists such as Mehr Afroze, Naheed Raza, Riffat Alvi, Ather Jamal, Afshar Malik, Anwar Saeed, R. M. Naeem, Imran Qureshi, Salima Hashmi, Musarrat Mirza, Asim Butt, Amean J, Mughees Riaz among others. To dilate on the works of a few; Abdul Jabbar Gull with his ‘Fish I’ and ‘Fish II’ sculptures in fibreglass, wood and aluminium takes up a direct dialogue with the works of Ghouri.

While the fish are gracefully stylised with oversized eyes, Ghouri’s familiar polka dots and flowers are also evident. The azure shades of green further enhance the marine character of the modelled composition. The sprouting leaves and vegetation flanking the fish are a representation of birth and sustenance of life.

Nabahat Lotia’s dynamic sculptures, ‘Against the tide’ and ‘King and I’, in high temperature ceramic bowl technique, have been skilfully produced to depict Ghouri’s marine symbols which effectively achieve the objectives of the theme.

Imran Qureshi, in an untitled etching print composed in two segments, unfolds the concept of life, its altered state and what lies beyond. The print is layered with spontaneous dribbles of scarlet that fuse into the sensitive drawing, transforming the entire composition into an evocative choreography.

Could the spots that Ghouri used in his artworks be the sacred hazelnuts that the ancient Celts believed were consumed by the salmon fish to gain wisdom? Could the fish be the same salmon which when savoured, conferred wisdom to the Celts? Perhaps true, but Ghouri’s thought-provoking symbolism and the embedded philosophies will continue to stimulate contemplative artists for times to come!