An art show of divinely inspired calligraphy | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

An art show of divinely inspired calligraphy

Pakistan Press Foundation

Karachi: We humans, all of us, have an ingrained divine element, an element an overwhelming number of us may not be aware of, but it is there.

In the present-day materialistic and physical world, where all that matters is what comes to us through the five gates of perception, where empirical evidence is all that matters, we tend to be either totally unaware of it or dismiss it as mere hallucination.

However, it is there. Every bit of it. It is this divine element that often brings out the esoteric in us and is displayed in our pursuits.

One such exhibition, based on 39 works of Islamic calligraphy, is currently under way at the Grandeur Art Gallery in Defence.

Apart from the exquisite and minute work with the brush, the way the colours in all the paintings blend into one another is reflective of something beautifully unearthly.

To mention just some of them, there is a piece by Akram Spaul in which ‘Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim’ is most artistically inscribed within a circle surrounded by another verse from the Holy Quran.

What makes the work awe-inspiring is the blending of colours, with that characteristically unearthly beautiful effect. Spaul is a classical realist artist. His realist oil paintings have taken him to the level of surrealism.

Then there is another work, titled ‘Allah’, by Ather Jamal. The artistry with which the word has been inscribed surrounded by an assortment of colours is enough to inspire one to divine heights.

There’s another one by Saba Shahid. This is an abrupt departure from the works of the likes of Spaul and Jamal and borders on the abstract.

Through her abstractionism, Saba depicts what she feels is the absolute, the infinite nature of the Almighty.

Saba is a self-taught artist with more than a decade of working experience to her credit. Her works reflect the elements of nature.

That is where she seems to get her inspiration from. “The more I look, feel and experience life, the more strongly is my belief instilled in God,” she says.

The calligraphy exhibition will run at the Grandeur Art Gallery until April 27. It is a must-see for the philosophically inclined.

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