It has been famously said that the only constant in the world is change and in the art world the artists are using this phenomenon to their advantage by combining media and other methods to express their views. Recently an exhibition was mounted at Chawkandi Art Gallery, Karachi, which exhibited the work of three young artists, an engaging experience offering insight into the varied perceptions of Rehana Latif, Ali Karimi and Zeeshan Memon.

Latif is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts and Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, while Karimi is a recent graduate of the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore. Zeeshan Memon, now teaching art in Karachi, graduated with distinction from the Centre of Excellence Art and Design, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, (MUET), Jamshoro in 2009. Each artist expressed unique ideas with emphasis on the process of the work.

Viewing Latif’s work, one was reminded of an opinion expressed recently by an eminent art critic, “in Pakistan, people tend to compare the present era with past history, while other countries accept the age they live in”. In her recent work the artist harkened back to the fearful journeys between her home in Quetta and the university in Lahore. Painted with the delicacy of the miniaturist were defensive piles of sandbags and soldiers unable to give a sense of protection.

The artist incorporated the figure of a Mughal emperor among the symbols of violence, while anthropomorphic packs of dogs roamed, left by the artist for the viewer to identify. Latif concludes with a comment on her work, “It is ugly, it is painful and it is frightening …” Here I disagree; in the recent work the artist’s subject may be disturbing but her process is admirable.

Memon has contributed to several group shows including the N.M. Art Dubai, and Alhamra, Lahore. In Memon’s current work, his overriding concerns are the negative influence on society spread by the signage and textures of Pakistani films, admirably depicted by the artist in all their aggressive, graphic splendour. To prove his point, he painted a series of engaging, small-scale, oil on canvas artworks appropriately framed to suggest ‘screens’. Images focus on gun bearing males and seductively posed females.

The faces of the subjects are blank as the artist contends that there are no heroes or heroines in the business and costumes and plots are identical. Looking back on the influence on Western society by Hollywood films in years gone by, Memon’s theory cannot be disregarded. The finale of the series has a curtain descending on a seated couple. This signifies the end of cinema popularity due to more entertaining stories programmed on television. Memon’s work piquantly held the viewer’s interest. Whatever subject he may explore in future, he is an artist of distinction.

Using the media of gold leaf, gouache, Indian ink and graphite on wasli, NCA’s Karimi was revealed as an artist with an impressive clarity of perception.

His work coherently illustrates changing moods of romance with forms of classical beauty. Heads and limbs are wrought with the delicacy that appears to emphasise a deeper meaning of the fragility of human relationships and how difficult life can be. Karimi’s work involves such visual pleasure that one was reluctant to leave the hauntingly beautiful graphite portrait of a young woman. Here is an artist reaching out to a wide audience.

The artists have good command over their mediums and efficiently merge them to produce enchanting artworks.