KARACHI, April 22: Pakistani women artists have come a long way. In the past they were not taken as seriously as their male counterparts. In the 1960s when the world started taking note of Pakistani artists, women painters and sculptors had already begun carving a niche for themselves. Today Pakistani artists have earned international renown (such as Shazia Sikandar) and justifiably so. It is from this perspective that an exhibition of artworks by women artists with proven credentials, which is under way at the Majmua Art Gallery, assumes significance.

Seasoned artist Qudsia Nisar is there with her thought-provoking abstract images. The abstraction however is not abstruse; once the viewer gets the hang of the assorted objects made with the help of watercolours they can realise that it is the vibrant representation of things which the artist is trying to put across. These colours and objects symbolise the different emotional aspects of a creature.

Nahid Raza’s tribute to the female form is always pleasing to the eye. The girl in her painting is accompanied by birds. There is an air of relative calm around, but this can be felt as long as the subject is judged as a complete individual.

Tabinda Chinoy plays with the posture of her central character. However, the posture alone does not mean anything if the surrounding she is in cannot be looked at in totality. The view outside the window and the flowers in the subject’s hands points to nature’s munificence which cannot be understood in isolation. Also, her examination of faces is quite interesting.

Muna Siddiqui creates a fairytale-like scene and crams her artwork with a great many things and yet the scene she creates has an unambiguous look to it. Her imagery is clear and definitive. Faiza elicits the sensuousness of the female form the way it deserves — where contours become the body.

The exhibition will continue until May 15.