ISLAMABAD: A group show featuring Abrar Ahmed, Najmul Hasan Kazmi and Masood A. Khan opened at the Nomad Gallery. The gallery has shifted again from the F-6 premises to the picturesque Saidpur Village.

The first room held works of Ahmed and Khan, two extremely different artists using disparate mediums, palletes and themes. Ahmed’s paintings are reminiscent of Bengali art featuring women with large eyes and ornaments while Khan’s watercolours were pallid translucent naturescapes.

The second room held works by Kazmi who is a renowned miniaturist working in both the fields of traditional miniatures and contemporary miniatures.

The traditional works showed his mastery over the difficult technique, while the contemporary paintings seemed to be based on nascent postmodern concepts.

Heather Cruden, the High Commissioner of Canada, inaugurated the exhibition.

Ghazala Saigol said: “The miniatures were pleasant enough but nothing stood out. Abrar Ahmed’s paintings were similar to Rind’s work.”

Abrar Ahmed is a Karachi-based artist whose work reflects dissatisfaction in spite of luxury. Kazmi studied in Kashmir, India and has recently exhibited abroad.

Masood Khan blends realism with modernism and creates transparent overlapping images to emphasise the layers upon layers of existence.

Masood Khan has recently been awarded a first prize at the International Biennale in Chenciano, Italy in 2011 for works on paper.

The recent body of work is a continuation of the past 18 appearances at various art galleries in Pakistan and abroad.

Najmul Hasan Kazmi’s collection of paintings was drawn from a recent exhibit in Turkey and three of which were shortlisted for an award selection in the Algiers.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2015

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