LAHORE: A solo exhibition of miniatures by Fatima Salman, titled, ‘Why Walk When You Can Fly’ opened at Shakir Ali Museum on Saturday. The exhibition features her 23 artworks.

Talking to Dawn, Fatima said it was her third solo exhibition but she had put on this exhibition after a decade or so. She said the miniature works in the exhibition were made during the last three years.

“My artworks are a form of expression, a roller coaster of emotions, sufferings, joy, pain and the realisation of self-worth. As an artist, I have put myself into my art, recreating my personal beliefs and feelings. In short, my work is my own reality, which keeps changing in the form of sorrows, laughter and the will to accept all challenges with absolute honesty”.

Talking about her works and style, she further said the will to fight with all her strength, rising beyond the fear of life and the fear of death would lead her to a doorway always open, welcoming new beginnings.

“By painting animals, I have shown that at the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think. The elephants typically depicting physical strength show a reflection of myself while I was fighting my own health battles. That’s when my focus diverted to my surroundings and I found myself at the beginning of a new journey,” she added.

Fatima Salman was born in Lahore. She completed her O levels at the Convent of Jesus & Mary before graduating from the National College of Arts in 2001. She has participated in various group and solo shows, starting with the first group show exhibition by Ejaz Galleries, followed by Canvas, National, Nairang and Rohtas galleries and National Exhibition at Alhamra Arts Council. She travelled to Hong Kong and Delhi to participate in shows.

Fatima’s work is inspired by traditional Mughal art, depicting human behaviour by creating wildlife scenes with the presence of various animals, the prominent being the elephant. In her paintings, elephants appear as a symbol of power, conflict, aggression, manipulation and struggle while other animals can easily be depicted as the audience in the surroundings.

Published in Dawn, january 8th, 2023