An artist with a mission, Nahid Raza continues to question the position of women in society, challenging the traditional norms of a male-dominated society through her art. In her exhibition at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi, she displayed for the first time sculpted forms drawn and cut from bronze sheets as well as painted images.

Throughout her vocation she has worked with a keen sense of observation of the many diversions and deviations in the ‘Woman’ series. She believes that the subject of an artist’s work is the point of departure in the creation of art, and artists are free to explore a subject without limit. In her work she induces the mood with symbols that often hover on the expressive or abstraction.

The artist’s outstanding artistic ability earned her recognition when she was still a student of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (CIAC), earning her the first award for the ‘Best Entry’ at the Karachi Arts Council in 1969. It was to be the first of many awards she received through the years, with the President’s Pride of Performance Award bestowed on her in 2007.

Her first solo exhibition was mounted at the Goethe Institute, Karachi in 1970, and in the decades that followed she has travelled widely and participated in residencies and programmes in numerous international art centres where her work has been exhibited. Through perceptions expressed in her work, Raza has transformed women of her epoch and environment into role models for future generations.

Nahid Raza uses art to create a dialogue between the viewer and the work through a feminist lens

Always spontaneous and emotional, she is a skilled simplifier of form and works to portray the world around her as she perceives it. In her work a link between the artist and the viewer is emphasised as she invites the observer to share her intense involvement, sharing with the viewer an aura of loneliness in contrast to the bronze sculptural pieces that step out of their surroundings.

The artist’s ‘Woman’ series was the first comprehensive attempt to bring a feminist viewpoint into art in Pakistan. One discovered the conflicting emotions palpable in her manipulation of materials while examining the psychological and political landscapes of women in a male-dominated society. The textured translucency of her paintings revealed and repressed meaning, embracing a range of expressive and historical influences.

Paintings worked with acrylic on canvas portray the objects that she perceives are often a woman’s sole companion in life, bringing curtains, chairs and tables to fill the space around her. “Don’t treat her like an object” is the artist’s heartfelt demand with paintings titled: ‘Waiting’, ‘Table, chairs and me’, ‘Living’, ‘Seated woman’ and with several figures dressed alike in the work titled ‘Wives’.

There are myriad moods to enjoy in her work, including the colours of optimism in ‘Buraq’ paintings.

She showcased her recent series worked in bronze for the first time, with an exquisite innovation in the clarity of configuration. Raza has infused her life with purpose as she continues to question the position of women in society. Recently returning from London, where she exhibited a series of her work at the Fountain Gallery, Hampton Court, she spoke with enthusiasm of the exhibitions visited, the dignity of museums seen and, with regret, the lack of art museums in our country. No doubt her feelings will be expressed in work to come.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, August 30th, 2015

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