Art comes up roses as artists let flora inspire them
KARACHI: The phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ could not have been more apt than at the ‘Sabza o Gul’ exhibition where artists conveyed serenity and tranquillity in all the paintings.
Meher Afroz used acrylic, graphite and silver colours to portray the beauty and essence of a garden at the opening day of the exhibition on Tuesday, held at the Chawkandi Art Gallery.
Using only three colours on paper to portray a rose’s life journey, Afroz’s work is oozing with a sense of serenity and tranquillity. Of the 15 etchings, only a single rose was a flower in bloom; the others were either buds or somewhere in between. “I have drawn inspiration from the Garden of Eden, where candles are reflected in the water and a long river flows through,” Afroz said while explaining the idea behind her work.” I have tried hard to capture the spirit of this magical moment in my work.”
Water colourist Ghalib Baqar’s work was just as eye-catching. Two of them, Naqshe Junoon and Nakhle Gumaan, show his brilliance as he used maroon to show his passion and a mixture of green and blue to depict the ‘tree of imagination’ in Nakhl-e-Gumaan.
Niilofur Farrukh, the founding editor of Nukta Art, enjoyed watching the art work and was impressed by the theme of greenery and flowers. “The concept of bringing flora into an art gallery is in itself an achievement because moving beyond the frames is exactly what our art community needs,” she said. “An artist needs a two-dimensional work but it’s a challenge for all art lovers, and such exhibitions and ideas are a step towards meeting that challenge.”
The exhibition hosted works by seven artists, all centred around the same theme. “Too many paintings or themes are often counterproductive,” said Farrukh, explaining why only a selected number of paintings were on display. “Few works on display give a sense of harmony and the artist’s individuality is not buried under an avalanche of paintings.”
Madiha Sikander combined her love for books with her art and painted a rose flower in her book, ‘The Child’s Garden of Cerses’ while reading it, revealed the curator of the exhibition, Amra Ali.
“All the paintings on display have been done on paper,” Ali told The Express Tribune. “Painting on paper is the basic inspiration in its literal context.”
The exhibition is unique due to its distinctive ideology of bringing the young and the experienced together on a single platform, said art enthusiast Rafia Maniar as she gazed at Farooq Mustafa’s ‘Yume No MachiI’.
A fine arts teacher at the Karachi Central Jail, Sikandar Jogi shared his views on the art by saying that everyone in the world is an artist of its own kind but fear stops them. “When someone is able to conquer their fear, they become an artist,” he added. “This is because creation only starts when fear ends.”
Jasmine buds litter the gallery, capturing it with their fragrance; in accordance with the theme of the exhibition that continues till October 8.
” 
” 
” 
” 
