LAHORE: A solo exhibition of paintings of Lubna Jehangir opened at Ocean Art Galleries, Gulberg on Thursday.

The show, titled ‘The Fragmented Whole’, features more than 40 paintings by the artist.

According to a statement, the highly personal visions communicated in Lubna Jehangir’s paintings are steeped in Sufi tradition, inspiration drawn from Sufi thought, folklore and mythology. Her work has a dream like quality. The flowing lines and her colour application technique are stylised and have a rhythmic flow. Minuscule dots, that require a high degree of concentration, heighten the delicacy and intricate detail in her work. She defines the technique she employs as; “Miniaturist Pointillism” - an amalgamation of the west and east. Once when asked by a fellow artist “why the dots?” Her response was “I fragment the line as I don’t like walking the straight and narrow!” Each dot is unique in shape, form and in intensity of its colour, mimicking the stars that fill the night skies.

Lubna sees herself as someone who has survived difficult professional and personal emotional journeys, which many women find themselves entangled in as they try and negotiate their way in an overwhelmingly patriarchal society. Refreshingly, she does not subscribe to the subjectivity of a victim. If anything, she feels that she has shed a lot of negativity and emerged a stronger individual.

Lubna prefers to remain ‘backstage’ so to speak. Thus, at one level, as she says, “the entwined flowers and twigs, the colours alongside monochromatic treatment, represent the deceptiveness of my mannerism. It all looks colorful and attractive; yet there are barriers that protect from complete exposure.”

The show would continue for a week.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2021