KARACHI, March 9: It is quite ironic that sometimes art created with a sense of urgency finds itself in the domain of timelessness. Many believe that it is the immediacy of experience that compels artists to vent their feelings (by drawing, painting of sculpting) without thinking much about their position in the annals of art history. It is quite the opposite of the famous concept of ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility’. When three young artists show almost the same level of energy because of experiential learning it is bound to make the viewer take note.

An exhibition of works by Farrukh Adnan, S.M. Raza and Abdullah Qamer titled ‘As And When It Happens’ commenced at the Art Chowk Gallery on Saturday. The marked feature of the show is the sense of contemporariness, the hallmark of which is a host of unanswered questions creating a labyrinthine existence, which all three artists have shown. Yes, with a sense of immediacy.

Farrukh Adnan tries to capture (read: understand) the tiny events in life that take place round the clock. They come in the shape of moments (ink on canvas) or stretch over days. These moments on surface seem as if they form an innocuous pattern, but they turn into a can of worms. This the artist shows through lines that crisscross, zigzag, break, disappear and reemerge on a regular basis; so much so that they become part of man’s daily routines. The artist has a great deal of creative flair.

S.M. Raza deals with everyday political issues of unrest both on individual and collective levels with special reference to the media. His ‘Peace’ (digital print on paper) and ‘Story Within A Story’ (installation box, acrylic and lights) are statements of his perturbed state of mind. He begins his journey with ‘White’ (ink pen and marker on paper and process prints) which is indicative of the gradual degradation in society.

Abdullah Qamer touches on the age-old theme of ‘Adam and Eve’ (iron and black ink on primed canvas) and draws the attention of the viewer towards the fact that the creation of Adam and Eve is not as black and white as people think it is. There are a lot of grey areas in between.

The exhibition will continue until March 22.