KARACHI, Nov 1: They say, there are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors of perception. There is a semblance of truth to it. Doors are a potent symbol of things that can either be explored or chanced upon or never discovered.

Artist Saqib Mughal, who now resides in the US, has used the very symbol to propagate his ideas through an exhibition of his mixed-media-on-canvas artworks titled ‘Darvazey’ (doors) which opened at the Koel Art Gallery on Thursday.

Saqib Mughal shows doors, that too of the oriental kind, as, ostensibly, an impediment in the way of awareness. Then comes the image of a butterfly. Now these are two distinctly different objects. The butterfly is a delicate creature, but the artist has put side by side the insect and the doors. The butterfly is light as a feather and the doors are sturdy. It is a contrast of sorts, and this is where the viewer can see the charm of the artworks. The point is, as the artist himself suggests in his statement, he does not want to remain unaware of, or oblivious to, things. And he wants to do that while keeping the aesthetics of the struggle intact.

In a piece called ‘Withdraw’, apart from the two aforementioned objects, Saqib Mughal has intelligently played with the colours.

It seems as if a rain of light blue shades is coming down on the doors at the bottom, whereas the door flanked by butterfly wings on top remains a separate entity.

Of all the exhibits on the same theme, the one titled ‘Ujala’ is a striking piece. It reminds the viewer, at least this writer, of a famous Peter Weir film ‘The Truman Show’ (1998). In the end of the film, the protagonist is finally allowed to leave the cosmetic set of the world and he climbs a staircase with a white background leading to a door that is apparently his entry to real life, which again might be a ruse.

In ‘Apart’, Mr Mughal breaks the monotony of the subject by introducing human figures. The red background adds intensity to the painting, not to mention the separated wings of the butterfly.

The exhibition will be open till Nov 13.