There are patterns created from flowers growing wild; lilies, roses, petunias and daisies are interspersed with diverse shades of green with birds nestling in-between. These calm settings are painted with watercolours by Muna Siddiqui, the artist who established the Craft Company in Karachi.

The artist spent her formative years in Canada, did her bachelors from McGill University in 1993 and then proceeded to London where she took a course of life drawing and watercolour in 1994, and then joined Parsons, New York, where she studied life drawing and painting. Settling in Karachi after her marriage, where, she declares, the colors and patterns she absorbed from the city influenced her artistic sensibilities.

Fascinated by the artists and exhibitions taking place in Karachi, she began to research the history of the subcontinent and became a regular customer at the markets where old books and art magazines were available. She visited parts of Sindh where craftsmen and potters worked and striking, colorful materials were made.

Muna Siddiqui’s magical floral paintings add air of mystery to the show

Siddiqui’s keen interest in the art work shown led her to become an art critic, writing regularly for the media.

The artist exhibited her work in a show in Karachi (1999 and 2000), and her work was also included in a group show from Pakistan held in Singapore. In 2004 at the Momart Gallery, Siddiqui mounted exhibitions of her work in the genre of floral landscapes, aspiring to ‘initiate a dialogue that is both Eastern and feminine’.

Her working pattern changed with the inauguration of ‘The Craft Company’. There she started a business producing art deco furniture, mosaic work, and art and craft objects.

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At the same time, the artist started a training centre where she taught students and currently teaches craftsmen the art of mosaic work. A large wall mural of mosaic tiles titled ‘The tree of life’ is an art feature of the Lady Dufferin Hospital; the Karachi Oxygen Spa is enhanced by a wall mural of natural stone, mosaic marble and wood carving, while a mosaic panel is a decorative feature of the Fuchsia Restaurant.

Siddiqui has run her art venture successfully for several years. For this reason, though she continued to paint, there was never enough time to mount a solo exhibition. Paintings displayed with the Craft Company found new homes and after a lapse of 10 years, at the persuasion of the Momart Gallery, Karachi, the artist mounted the recent extensive exhibition of her watercolour paintings.

It was an exhibition that consisted of compositions joyfully portraying a myriad array of flowers and birds that are represented in an individual manner. Fairytale floral motifs are a reoccurring theme. In her work, light and shade modulates the compositions with the delicacy of design that appears to be layered with fronds, leaves and exotic plant life.

There are also paintings highlighting couples inspired by ancient tales of lovers, arranged in classic poses the artist defines as ‘allegorical, repetitive symbols’. They appear in varied backgrounds throughout history, but in Muna Siddiqui’s art world, the sky is always blue.— M.H.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 7th, 2014