As much as I enjoy frequenting exhibitions by established artists, nothing quite matches the thrill of discovering a new generation of artists who are swiftly making a name for themselves. The artists whose artwork is currently on display at the Sanat Initiative in Karachi certainly fall into the latter category.

‘Unspoken Stories’ brings together five talented and thematically diverse artists — Muhammad Asad Gulzar, Razin Rubin, Rida Fatima Solangi, Syed Abdullah Ali and Syeda Seerat Zainab — all of whom have their own stories to tell.

Those entrenched in Karachi’s art scene will be familiar with Rubin’s work. Her group show two years ago, called ‘The Tales They Carry’, was particularly memorable because of her deeply moving graphite renditions of old family photographs. Rubin carries on that practice in her artwork displayed for ‘Unspoken Stories’, with each portrait harkening back to an era that is now long gone. The sparse nature of the background in her artwork ensures that the attention of the viewer remains only on the people inhabiting her art.

This can lead to both an alluring and a chilling sensation, as demonstrated by the artwork Rubin Sisters. The attire and pig-tails donned by the two women in this graphite recreation of an old family photograph immediately lets viewers know that these people belong to another — inarguably better — time. However, the ladies also have the disquieting magnetism of the iconic twin sisters from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Try as you might, you simply can’t look away.

The experiences, tales and moments that define families, friends and individuals take centre stage at an on-going group exhibition

On the opposite end of the thematic spectrum, Solangi’s work pays tribute to a younger, brasher and edgier side of Pakistan. Her paintings also feel like pictures come to life, but not the kind of pictures you’d find in forgotten family photo albums. Instead, Solangi’s paintings embody the feverish energy of a Zoomer’s (someone belonging to Gen Z) Instagram feed.

The young men and women in her paintings are out camping with friends, busy on their cellphones, flashing the middle finger, passing a blunt or raucously celebrating a birthday. Effused with bright colours that speak to the exuberance of Solangi’s subjects, the world seems like it is filled with endless possibilities for those who inhabit her paintings.

Ali’s paintings, however, have a more jaded edge to them. Grappling with fear, grief, hope and resilience, Ali’s artwork captures the rawness of these emotions, acknowledging their existence while also presenting a pathway towards healing and renewal. His figures appear adrift and solitary but are still yearning for some sort of genuine connection. The colours used here are dark and convey a sense of foreboding. The deep blue colours of Sensing the Imminent and Untitled, 2023 in particular look like they could fit into the unnerving world created by Jordan Peele in his film Nope.

Out of all the artists participating in ‘Unspoken Stories’, Zainab’s artwork is perhaps the most difficult to try and define. Nonetheless, this doesn’t make her creations any less captivating. Straddling the line between the geometric precision of some Leonardo da Vinci sketches and the surrealist nature of Rene Magritte’s work, Zainab is, in her own words, trying to understand “the distance between an idea and a physical representation, and the application of this philosophy in art.”

Compared to his counterparts at the exhibition, Gulzar’s ink drawings leave the most room for interpretation. Tale 2 and Tale 3 depict a severance of ties and bonds that have been irreparably damaged, while The Yellow Has Its Own Story and The Birth Story seem like cosmic creations paying homage to the celestial wonders of the universe and existence itself.

‘Unspoken Stories’ is on display at the Sanat Initiative in Karachi from July 18-27, 2023.

The writer is an artist and educator

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 23rd, 2023