KARACHI: A group art show with a common theme seldom disappoints, but when that common theme is not made obvious or mentioned obliquely in the curatorial statement, it becomes all the more exciting for the viewer to discover it.

A four-person exhibition titled Highlight opened at the Canvas Art Gallery on Tuesday evening. Technically, the participating artists — Abdul Fatah Halepoto, Jamil Afridi, Najeeb Rashdi and Ronaque Ali Bhurgri — share one trait: finesse. That’s not the theme of the show.

What is it then? Well, it is more of a cinematic thing. Let’s elucidate. We often see in films a scene whose preceding scene, that is, what caused it to happen, is never shown. It is the preceding act that imparts the ‘tone’ to the rest of the story — grief, happiness, emptiness, etc.

That’s exactly what’s going on here and is amply evident when the viewer looks at Najeeb Rashdi’s ‘Pink Chair’ (mixed media on canvas). The artwork has two stand-out elements: chair and ceiling fan. It’s a dead give-away of what has transpired. And it’s up to the viewer to find that out. The remarkable thing about the painting is the almost child-art-like feel to a serious work of art.

Bhurgri pulls off almost the same feat by employing a different technique. He uses pencil on paper to take colours out of the equation, adding pathos to his work. For example, in one image, the focus on a pair of tattered shoes is intriguing. A lot of other objects can be seen in the frame, and yet no one can take their eyes off the shoes… the back-story of the painting.

Abdul Fatah Halepoto is no less impressive with his effort, and the name of one of his artwork, ‘Working Man’ (oil on cloth), gives a clear indication that he too, perhaps unknowingly, is holding on to the thread that runs through the entire exhibition.

Jamil Afridi may appear to veer off-track a bit. That’s not the case in reality. His more colourful paintings basically stick to the same idea expressed with a different mood. ‘Karachi Street’ (oil on canvas) looks like a depiction of the city’s serene yesteryear. But then, it is the past that gives the present a lesson in life.

The exhibition curated by Mohammad Ali Talpur will continue until May 14.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2015

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