Veteran artist Ejaz Malik’s work is invariably intense, almost visceral, deeply poetic and philosophical. His life’s journey, from his birthplace Khanpur Katora — a small town at the border of the Cholistan desert in South Punjab — to Karachi for higher education, and then to Paris for 15 years and back to Lahore, has given him a unique perspective.

Paris was where he immersed himself in the study of art and artists, not simply as an academic pursuing a degree, but as an individual who wanted to see up close and personally, all that he possibly could. Now based in Lahore, he seems to have come back with new-found passion to contribute to the local art scene, not only through his art, but also his opinions. The latter would be a contentious discourse, for his views are hard-hitting and explosive.

His contempt for “fake mentors”, and self-serving groups, and “copied work or style”, do seem to contribute to a fiery angst within him. It is still the earlier Pakistani artists such as Sadequain, Zahoorul Akhlaq, Khalid Iqbal, Colin David and other such veteran artists that continue to inspire him, as do Picasso, Braque, Rodin and Cezanne from the European world.

He is considerably miffed by the local art market that seems to be geared for “accommodating/ adjusting paintings with sofas or colour of the rugs ...” and laments that most artists here “do not read, write or reflect.” He seems to be wary of a culture of relying mainly on computers for copying styles and “creating noises” that he believes “will die with the passage of time because it is not coming from one’s guts.”

Indeed, it is this adherence to his ‘gut’ instincts that make Malik’s work what it is. The 18 paintings and 11 portrait sculpture pieces that were recently exhibited at Lahore’s Hamail Gallery gave a substantial glimpse of how his mind and soul work. One had seen these sculptures almost three years ago and had given a critique. Seeing them again, in a new gallery setting, was an experience that brought fresh insights about how the artist immerses himself in his subject and tries to create “an aura of authenticity.” However, having already written about these, it is only fair that his paintings would be one’s focus for now.

Ejaz Malik’s creativity represents a tantalising combination of visceral angst and poetic pleasure

Like one mentioned earlier, there is an undeniable ‘visceral’ quality to the content of many of his paintings, especially the ones made a couple of years ago. The splayed, fragmented body parts, the blood-like reds and mottled browns and blacks are haunting and even disturbing. The compositions reek of torment and pain, such as in the paintings, ‘Crucified Voices’ and ‘The Nests’. They remind one of Sadequain’s angst about the human condition.

However, instead of the more linear, mainly monochrome style of the old master, we see the torment via intense colours and an almost animalistic flesh-and-blood approach that, nonetheless, is replete with thoughtful detailing.

The more recent works, however, (interestingly dated ‘Corona 2020’), present a different aesthetic. These are geared towards conveying visionary musings through gorgeous colours and intriguing symbols that, despite being riotous, are mostly contained within a design format similar to stained glass windows. The mask-like faces of women, birds and animals, the bull in particular, and the use of text, both in English and Urdu, create symbolic and aesthetically mesmerising paintings. At least 10 of the paintings have this visual ethos, while the remaining are also intriguing compositions, some also employing mixed media collage.

Amongst the ‘Corona 2020’ paintings, ‘Three Murmurings’ and ‘Red Bird And Women’ particularly caught one’s attention. The use of poetic texts in the former, and the more hopeful symbolism in the latter, are indicative of the artist’s vision of both the present and the future. They could be deciphered as showing an upheaval of events, some disturbing, and others giving a sense of strength and even hope.

In these last works, as in many others, women seem to be the main protagonists, and the bull, which for Malik is the male symbol of “uncontrolled virility”, is shown first in a rage, then fragmented, and eventually as a subdued and dominated entity.

The texts incorporated in these most recent works are quintessentially intense, but also poetic and visionary. We thus witness a tantalising combination of angst and pleasure, despair and hope, poured on to the artist’s canvases. Some might find the discourse unsettling, but then there is also the joie de vivre and the heralding of a new dawn that Malik’s recent creativity indicates.

“Ejaz Malik’s Paintings and Portrait Sculptures” was held at Hamail Art Gallery in Lahore from October 14, 2020 till October 20, 2020

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2020