ISLAMABAD: An art exhibition titled ‘Beyond Words: Capturing the Divine and Sublime’ opened at Tanzara Gallery in the federal capital, showcasing the work of two artists exploring the profound intersections of language and spirituality in their practice.

Both Mohammad Abrar and Saad Mehmood bring a unique perspective to the enthusiasts visiting the exhibition. Their works blend “traditions with innovation, creating a visual language that is both timeless and strikingly contemporary”.

Abrar, a Lahore-based artist working across calligraphy, mosaic, and printmaking, described his work “as a space of encounter, where rhythm, silence, and harmony invite the possibility of divinity in the weaving of parts into a whole”. His work takes shape through paper mosaic and Kufic calligraphy, as hundreds of small fragments are painted, cut, and pasted to form an inscription within rhythmic compositions of colour.

He tells Dawn that his work attempts to depict that “mysticism and theology” might be in contrast, but they do not contradict each other.

In contrast to the vibrant colours offered by Abrar, Saad offers sepia tones, evoking the look of forgotten manuscripts and old photographs. With work titled ‘The Last Dialogue’, ‘Grid of Memories’, and ‘Once Upon a Time’, his pieces evoke a sense of loss but also offer resilience and hope.

Also a Lahore-based artist, his work is influenced by Sufi poetry and Islamic calligraphy and reimagines traditional symbols in contemporary contexts.

With his practice based in “damage and repair”, he uses calligraphy as both “language and metaphor—where the sacred and the contemporary meet, transforming wounds into forms of resilience and renewal”.

According to Catherine Weinstock, the curator of the exhibition, the artists, in their own way, show that the “beauty of language is not just in what words mean, but in how they come alive—how they carry energy, emotion, and lasting impact when carefully crafted”.

While Abrar shows a deep connection between language and divinity in Islamic tradition through vibrant colours and intricate mosaics, Saad uses “stark but elegant modern visual language” to explore presence and absence, she adds.

Though both artists deal with spiritual texts, one works with spirituality to blend faith and logic in the footsteps of 11th-century philosopher Al- Ghazali, while the other takes inspiration from Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, and Mian Muhammad Baksh to confront “linguistic loss”, particularly Urdu and Punjabi.

“I explore how the written word carries devotion and memory, becoming a site where repair is possible,” he explains. Their works, held together by a common thread, offer two different worlds to visitors: Abrar offers “economy of words” with vibrant mosaics on the one hand, while on the other, Saad offers an abundance of words to spark urgency.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2025