ISLAMABAD: Satrang Art Gallery hosted the opening of Losing Earth, a solo show by Heraa Khan, a Lahore-based visual artist who has specialised in the traditional techniques of Indo-Persian miniature painting.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Spanish Ambassador Manuel Durán Giménez Rico while High Commissioner of Australia Dr Geoffrey Shaw and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam also visited the event.

Founder Director Satrang Gallery Asma Rashid Khan introduced the artist, saying, “Satrang Gallery is a firm supporter and believer in effectively resolving the issues that revolve around climate change and the disturbed environmental balance. Our environment affects all of us. We all have to be aware of the necessity of improving our natural world, and artist Heraa Khan has shed light on this issue through her new body of work that we are proud to exhibit in the gallery, a solo show titled Losing Earth”.

She added, “Through her work, Heraa Khan has explored the consequences of consumerism on the environment. She explores the rise in different factors such as temperatures, floods, forest fires, pollution and smog. The 24k gold leaf she uses in her work represents rampant extravagance and commercialisation which overshadows the critical need to preserve the environment”.

Zahra Khan, curator of the show, said: “The show, which is composed of a new body of work, marks a different direction for Heraa, who is an exceptionally skilled miniature artist. Beautiful jewel-like paintings depict the increasing threat to wildlife and nature, as well as changing ecologies and the visible effects of global warming. Heraa is building a sustainable practice, and is inviting her viewer to engage with her thoughtful works and educate themselves about this crisis.”

Heraa Khan said: “My work explores consequences of consumerism on the environment in terms of rise in temperatures, floods, forest fires, pollution and smog. It suggests that we are disconnected with nature and have lost harmony within our ecosystem resulting in climate change.”

Her delicate miniature landscapes, waterscapes and animal forms are covered and disrupted with 24k gold leaf which she explains, “The 24k gold leaf in my work symbolises luxury, materialism and consumerism”.

Along with miniature paintings, Heraa creates 3D works, sculptures, installations, films and public art. Her art uses natural and organic materials such as soil, clay pots and toys, and dried leaves, juxtaposing them against commercially produced materials like plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic wrappers and plastic toys.

“I aim to draw attention to unsustainable practices and recycle non-degradable materials. In some works, 2D miniature paintings evolve into 3D installations. I cover the finesse of miniature painting with a disposable plastic bag reducing a tenderly worked piece of art into a tactile installation, making it perishable and prone to human tampering. Human tampering of the artwork parallels the human tampering of our environment,” Heraa Khan said.

The morning of the exhibition, Heraa conducted a workshop for approximately 20 schoolchildren from the Mashal Model School. They explored methods of producing art through sustainable materials, using mud and food colour to make paint and then using their hands to paint a landscape.

The students were also asked to bring in plastic toys and recycle them into 3D art pieces. The idea was to introduce them to the idea of how plastic is harmful to the environment and does not degrade when dumped in the environment.

They were toured through the exhibition by Heraa Khan the artist, Zahra khan, the curator, and Asma Khan, the director of the gallery.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2021