Maliha Azami Agha recently held a show of her artworks, titled Alchemy, at Ejaz Art Gallery in Lahore and the works will travel to Karachi for an exhibition scheduled on March 26 at the Art Scene Gallery.

Former principal of the College of Art and Design, the artist is an MFA in Graphic Design from the Punjab University and also MA in Art Education from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

Maliha’s autobiographical feminist drawings in graphite, pen and colour pencil, rendered with beautiful composition and techniques offer a glimpse into her consciousness. Her emotionally charged work is a portrayal of her own observation of the contemporary woman, braving social injustice, hate and abuse in every stratum of society. It’s a clear documentation of a tension between experiences of life, feelings and a strange alchemy of imagination. The artist is struggling to confront her true self and at times her metaphorical self through her work.

Talking about her works, Maliha says: “The struggle to unearth, expose, conceal and then reveal again seems to be at the core of my present work. Paradoxes and ambiguities come to the forefront, forcing me to confront sometimes my true self and at other times my metaphorical self. In my abstractions and realities, I am never one single person – I am many”.

The drawings in the exhibit portray a woman with intent, painful, beautifully haunting gaze, who questions, pleads and speaks to the viewer. She is rebellious and courageous but the silence is inflicted upon her. To give dynamic and painful emphasis, black is used on the bleeding lips. Such kind of emotions can be seen in a painting titled “UNTOLD”. The tiny details in the form of headdress reveal the tension inside her mind, creeping up from the larger expanse. Red is ominous here signifying that there isn’t much hope left. The execution of emotions through eyes is marvelous.

Same imagery can be seen in “INDELIBLE”. The marks on the face of a beautiful woman are an ironical imagery. She is not uttering a word but the meticulously captured emotions in her eyes say it all.

In some paintings, the beautiful woman gazes out of the frames of veil to the viewer. Featuring intense colors and design philosophy the figure tries to vent out all the bottled up emotions.

In the painting, titled ENMESHED, the marvelously drawn eyes reveal the inner story of pain and intense helplessness. The vivid yellow of the veil shrieks against the agitated form of scribbled pencil lines. In these sinuous twists and crevices one finds reference of thought weaving process which is generating new roots. The sensuously drawn lips catch the attention of the viewer as if something is to be shared.

The drawings are a bold attempt of Maliha, inviting viewers to look deeply into her personal feelings, fears and emotions, allowing the viewer to establish a strong intimate connection with her works.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2016