KARACHI, Jan 26: Apparently Quetta and Paris are two cities of this world which do not have much in common. In fact in most cases they are diametrically opposed. However, this is not how the artist community sees things. It always looks deeply into what has been overlooked or hidden from the naked eye.

An exhibition of works by two artists Akram Dost and Bertrand Bellon titled ‘Overlooked – Quetta-Paris Painted Dialogue’ opened at the Alliance Francaise Karachi on Saturday. The show intends to bring together a creative exchange of ideas between artists belonging to two cities that do not have an apparent connection.

The two artists’ works, despite different in style, content and technique, do have a converging point, which is the intensity of feelings. If Dost paints the common man the way he is, that is constantly immersed in struggle of one kind or another, then Bellon draws objects that come across as inanimate and indistinguishable and reveals their real nature through a skilful use of light and colours.

Both men, in a roundabout way, investigate the historic link of their subjects to their pursuits or try to find their historic import in the context of present-day scenarios. Doing so, Dost paints dour faces whereas Bellon uses fruits in particular and nature in general as a point of reference where the shape of the fruits and their colours symbolise fecundity attributed to the feminine species. Closeness to nature, to the artist, can help man achieve peace which in some parts of the world is increasingly becoming an elusive idea.

Talking to Dawn, Bertrand Bellon said, “We saw Akram Dost’s artworks in France and we were thrilled by it. He and I share one thing in common: both of us are very active individuals. We like to paint and put across our ideas. As far as my art is concerned, painting provides pleasure to me. This series that I have put on display is about peace. What I’m trying to say is that there is so much happening around us that we tend to become overly anxious about things. There is no use in being anxious. Peace is what we should seek.”

The exhibition will continue until Feb 2.