ISLAMABAD: An exhibition titled Inquest Affinity was inaugurated by Canadian High Commissioner Perry John Calderwood at the Satrang Art Gallery on Tuesday.

The six contributing artists – Ammama Malik, Agha Irtaza Qazalbash, Jasmine Michael, Maria Shah, Usman Khalid and Samiullah Sehto – come from diverse backgrounds and have varied objectives for creating their work. The visual thread that unites the work selected for the exhibit is their overwhelming need to voice societal issues through art.

Mr Calderwood, while inaugurating the event, said: “Having arrived in Pakistan only 18 months ago, I was already aware of the cultural brilliance of the country but what surprised me on my arrival here was how dynamic the contemporary art scene is in Pakistan. All Pakistanis should be proud of their cultural heritage and should also take pride in the happening contemporary art scene.”

The exhibit was dominated by six pieces by Ms Malik. Aspiring to look past the evident and permeate the depths of a person’s psyche by commenting on hierarchy and class divides, her work focused on foot impressions. Used as a metaphor, the foot elaborated the different ranges of societal class. She highlighted emotion and insinuation, and favoured subjectivity over objectivity.

Realism coupled with societal male lust was a dominant theme in the work of Samiullah Sehto, who focused on the present deplorable situation in the country, specifically the Kasur incident. His painting ‘The Last Play’ was a crowd favourite, but his ‘Beauty and the Beast’ did absolute justice to his theme.

Similarly, Ammama Malik has a thought provoking display – her wood paintings are an ode to the Renaissance and Baroque eras. One of her paintings has hints of the famous ‘The Penitent Magdalene’, where she seems inspired by Caravaggio’s dramatic use of light and shade, but she has used it in her own sensitive and contemplative way. The work lures the viewer in, perturbs the mind and leaves a sense of profound curiosity.

Contrastingly, Maria Shah’s landscape oil paintings maintained an aura of miscellany. Her sinuous sunset contrasted with an audaciously blue sea has the viewer mesmerised and, though the sense of dispersion settles in, the painting itself leaves a profound impact. The painting is evocative and follows a distinct merging of a theme of movement and stillness while attempting to discreetly cause a sense of movement within.

Blurring traditional distinctions between painting and drawing, brush and pencil, and images and words, Usman Khalid, created a mysterious world of iconography, metaphor and myth through two of his large displays: ‘The Night We Met’ and ‘Presence of Absence’. Part painting, part graphic art, the headless feminine image feature carefully drawn shapes, grids, and measurements symmetrically scattered across a cream background.

Combining these with seemingly random swirls, scratches, and other expressive gestures, Mr Khalid creates his own distinctive, highly recognisable style.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2018