“Continuous/present is a state of being wherein previously known experiences of time, order and identity begin to give way to an unknown essence that resists definition, that is both flux and constancy, just as the seashore is the threshold where earth meets water; it is simultaneously a site of separation and union, of absence and presence …” are words that best describe the entire ambience of what one recently saw at Lahore’s Rohtas gallery. Ayessha Quraishi’s above statement is indeed as compelling and poetic as her paintings, which explore an inner world that is timeless, boundless and ethereal.

There is a beguiling aura of simplicity in the discourse, from the minimalism of colours to the absence of ‘tangible’ forms; in fact, it is this intangibility that contributes to the sense of timelessness, of being in the world of spirit, rather than matter. It takes a while to realise that, in fact, the visuals represent a sensitive union of processes both ‘visceral’ and its exact opposite.

Quraishi’s oil paintings on paper are examples of pure abstraction. While black and white or the ‘non colours’ are her chosen favourites, there are examples of other hues being incorporated in the creative process; rich orange and crimson, shades of blue and violet find their way into a few works that are more in the category of ‘mixed media’ rather than ‘oil on paper’ as the artist declares.

These latter works make use of digital photographs of the artist’s own work which is amalgamated with the painting procedures she employs. In fact, even the ‘paper’ is a vinyl sheet on which colour is applied and then removed with cloth or other improvised tools to get an effect that is truly pristine in the context of textures and contrasts of light and dark hues.

Looking at these mostly black and white narratives of abstraction, the mind tends to conjure landscapes, seascapes or ‘inner landscapes’ that tug at the soul. There is nothing overtly obvious in all these possibilities, and perhaps, each viewer is likely to respond to the visuals in accordance with his or her own inner repertoire of feelings, experiences and imagination.

One may mention that Quraishi is a self-taught artist, but one who is steadily developing impressive credentials. No doubt the work speaks for itself, but nonetheless one cannot help but mention that she has been recognised for her talent both at home and abroad.

A Karachi-based artist, she has participated in various group shows, has four solo shows to her credit and has worked in artist’s residencies in France and Egypt, with the most recent being in Bodrum, Turkey. She has also ventured into ‘performance art’, a domain emerging in the fine arts that is gaining momentum abroad but is not so common locally.

Of the two ‘performances’, one was repeated at Rohtas at the opening, whereby a 98 feet x 42 inches scroll painted in black and white in the manner described earlier, was shared with the audience in a dramatic way, revealing the subtle nuances of light and dark created by the black and white oil colour on the vinyl sheet that made up the massive scroll.

One felt that there was something extraordinary about Quraishi’s artistic expression. Having seen her work for the first time, (perhaps because she has exhibited in Lahore after almost two decades), one can admit that the encounter was a memorable one, and one looks forward to more.