KARACHI, Oct 25: Colours have a language of their own. They speak in overtones and undertones, depending how the artist who is using them wants them to speak. The beauty of it all is that the language of colours is understood by even those who do not find the world of art worth visiting. Ubaid Syed is an artist who not only uses colours as a medium of expression but at the same time also seems to coexist with them. That’s the level of his fondness for them. This can be seen at an exhibition of his acrylic-on-canvas artworks titled ‘Silence’ that is under way at the VM Art Gallery.

Ubaid Syed lives in Sweden. This needs to be mentioned because his work does carry a certain western sensibility in terms of form, though his subject, ‘nature’, cannot be put into any bracket.

The magic, the mystique and the munificence associated with nature are mankind’s shared asset. And the artist seems to be pretty aware of it.

The exhibits on display embody the same theme, treated in different ways all of which have one factor in common: a riot of colour. They are bold and loud, yet contain a refreshing airiness to them. The dense strokes impart an abstract touch to the paintings, in terms of understanding.

Once the viewer gets the hang of his style, things become clear as day. It is nature and nothing but nature that Ubaid Syed is paying tribute to.

The title of the exhibition is also important. It signifies the ambience in which the artist has drawn his subject. Silence can be soothing as well as menacing, as in ‘lull before the storm’. But in essence it is a kind of landscape art done with naturalness of a lyric poem.

The exhibition will be open till Nov 9.