It has been famously said that the only constant in the world is change, and in the art world the artists are putting this maxim to practice by adapting and augmenting their work by using digital media, video and other techniques. Recently a group show titled, ‘Quintet” was held at the newly renovated Khaas Gallery, Islamabad, which exhibited the work of five young emerging artists, Benazir Hayat, Fatyma Amin, Malghalara Kalim, Schezre Syed and Xahra Hafeez.

The artists are recent graduates from the National College of Arts, Rawalpindi and have exhibited installation-based contemporary art. Installation art by definition uses interesting material to transform a space and create an experience. It involves the viewer so that he or she becomes part of the art experience itself.

Viewing Hayat’s work of digital prints evokes feelings of contempt, politicisation and confusion. Her repeated female figure within each print seems distressed but in a manner where her expressions are unaware of the harsh realities of the society we live in. The struggle to make ends meet is evident, and while our politicians play with the livelihood of the masses, there is no intention of helping them.

Employing the traditional method of miniature painting, Amin’s work is interactive and in the form of 3D boxes. In her work miniature painting comes with a twist. The use of illustration representation and spontaneity gives her work a modern analogy. Patterns and everyday objects have been used to create a story of memories which synchronises with realities and dreams alike.

Surprising and conspicuous materials are the highlight of Kalim’s array of art pieces. Besides her digital prints, her installation pieces are three dresses in which different materials have been used such as newspapers, panaflex, lining, ribbon, caution tape and latex. Her unique couture is a conversation starter along with being outrageously eccentric; it is an enthralling experience of composition, colour and clever thinking to the subject of how we, as people, have become numb to our harsh surroundings.

Syed, a printmaker, displayed a series of prints and a video installation. Her artwork is interactive and the viewer can bring his or her own experiences to her pieces. Everyday objects become stories, which work separately and with each other to form photographs creating an encounter on the human subconscious.

Hafeez’s pieces take form in screen prints and acrylics on canvas and an installation formed with a suitcase. The famous Louis Vuitton logo is an apparent feature in her work, which aids the viewer to realise how one fills their world with materialistic and superficial commodities. Her pieces depict human beings as having an innate desire to accumulate material things at the cost of their spirituality.

This exhibition focuses on the collaboration of these emerging artists allowing a space for dialogue, interdisciplinary conversation and creative collaboration. Encouraging younger artists is important as exhibiting their work shows them that their artwork is valued and that patience and effort can nurture their creative minds.