One of Usman Khalid’s pieces at the exhibition. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of mixed media art pieces capturing diverse social and political issues opened up at the Nomad Art Gallery and Cultural Centre, here on Saturday.
Featuring artworks by muralist Zia Zaidi and ceramist Usman Khalid, the exhibition is a combination of paintings on glass, wood and metal, as well as an amalgamation of stones and ceramics.
“I’ve connected [the work of] the two artists in one exhibition because they complement each other. As you go from one to the next, you can feel the colours blend subtly and then the imagery take form to create both impact and perspective,” said Nageen Hyat, the curator of the gallery.
Zaidi focuses on glass painting with layers of colour juxtaposed to create a free-floating essence. He also dabbles in wood and metal, cutting them stylistically to create a combination of cool and warm tones in one abstract, whimsical series.
His work is largely experimental and an exploration of the possibilities in the media. “I enjoy the process…it helps me tackle big mural challenges as an artist. I love it,” said Zaidi.
Khalid took up ceramic-making as a process of catharsis following his father’s death around three years ago. “My indulgence in this medium is very new. My flirtation with the arts, roots from the world of music, as I did music for 25 years,” he said. Each of his pieces on display represents a section of our social fabric including the contradictions and complexities. Khalid works with marble, natural stone, semiprecious gemstones, and stained iridescent and phosphorescent glass.
Most of Khalid’s work is open to interpretation along with some very direct references from social events and popular culture.
For example, while “Iqra” depicts a cleric watching over a girl as she reads from a textbook, “Kaptaan” is a reflection of cricket fever coupled with a promise of change. The piece, ‘Meri dharti’ features a gun-slinging soldier in camouflage gear, with an upturned moustache, a deadpan expression, and a serene landscape in the backdrop.
“Taboo”, a pun on negative stereotyping of musicians in the country, shows a tabla player practising his craft in solitude. Another image shows a spirited malang, giving off a Bob Marley feel, albeit in an indigenous context. A green thumbprint impression speaks for identity, while separate portraits of an elderly man and a woman show signs of a life well lived, from their lines of wisdom to the odd broken tooth.
There are artful references to the flamboyance and innocence of childhood, such as children playing in a rustic setting, a boy leaping into a canal and rural men enjoying a cockfight, depicting patriarchy. The artist reflects upon the Peshawar tragedy with children going to school in blood-stained uniform, a terrorist locked in his own mind, and schoolgirls exuding courage and resilience.
Working with a diverse range of ideas on a limited palette, Khalid explores socially-relevant themes, fleeting moments, and realities of life in an all-encompassing collection. The exhibition will continue till March 31.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2015.
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