The Epic Journey’ not everyone’s cup of tea
KARACHI: Full Circle Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition ‘The Epic Journey’ by emerging young artist Shazly Khan featuring life engagements and circles of ordinary women. At least 32 brightly coloured paintings are on display for art connoisseurs and critics alike.
According to the artist’s statement her work is an “Epic of a Woman”.
As per the curator Guddu Haider, “It could be seen as an Epic of creative interaction unfolding in five envelops that govern and cover this journey: she is a Pakistani woman, an Asian woman, a Muslim woman, surely a contemporary woman and fifthly, a universal woman/mother.”
One of her painting, ‘Tea Party’ made with acrylic on canvas is a sight of a score of women in different attires, enjoying tea. The artist has created a kaleidoscope by painting each and every woman in myriad shades and hues from the colour wheel.
Almost all of the women painted by Shazly are wearing bangles, perhaps to celebrate their womanhood. A cup of tea seems to literally be present in a lot of her paintings, but it isn’t merely what one might think it is.
Another, ‘Cup of Tea with my best Friend’ on the same medium portrays two friends having a cup of tea on the roof of perhaps what might be their residence. Shazly has presented the view we often consider quite ordinary in our society, but which has emotional value and depth. Again in this painting, she has painted handbags and bangles.
Unlike most of the contemporary work shrouded in loads of modern philosophical nuance and semantics, the artist has kept most of her work matter of fact and ‘right there’ for the viewer to look at and perceive.
‘Mama… Tree of life’ is the painting of a mother with her kids. In the painting, Shazly has depicted the protective instincts of a mother, like a tree, the mother spreads her arms in the air, while her children stand in the shade, sheltered away from the evils.
In short, her work seems to be happy and lively, contrary to what seems to be in fashion. Even if her curator does not find her rebellious, it would not be wrong to consider that by sticking to ‘happiness’, Shazly has rebelled from what is mainstream in the art world at the moment. ‘Let me out’ seems to be the only reference to what often happens to women in our part of the world.
All in all, her work is interesting, colourful and misleading in the first glance.
The show will continue till January 17, 2014.
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