KARACHI: Afshar Malik, Ahmed Ali Man­ganhar and Ali Kazim are three well-known, established artists of the country. So it’s a no-brainer when an exhibition featuring works created by them that opened at the Canvas Gallery is titled Triple A. On surface, the title is to do with their same initials. That’s not it or that’s not just it. There’s another way to interpret the name of the show.

And that is: the three As stand for ace (artists). They are three of the most highly regarded painters that we have amidst us, hence aces of the pack. There wouldn’t be many to dispute this claim.

Now to their work: Afshar’s paintings on display are a visual delight. But, despite having generic titles, they stem from a very personal space. The prime example is an exhibit called ‘Day 18th It Walked Up To Me’ (oil on canvas). It might sound as if something has preceded the creation of the painting, and it could very well be the case, but even then the artwork is so engaging and relatable that the viewer will immediately start connecting the dots to the story in the present … and it wouldn’t be a wrong idea.

Ahmed chooses an interesting medium, acrylic on slate, to express himself in some of his exhibits. His expression lends a distinct flavour to the whole display. His triptych ‘Solo Show’ is a triumph of the lovely combination of skill and creativity. Although the fertility, and perhaps complexity of his thought process, is at its peak in the piece named ‘The Black Rembrandt’.

Ali adds another dimension to the versatility of the exhibition by pushing the boundaries for the visual sense. His ‘Lightning Series’ (dry pigments on Mylar) is meant to challenge the aesthetic sense of the viewer by making him see the unseen. The same happens with the ‘Land Series’ but on a different plane, where illusion and reality lose meaning and become part of the artworks’ grammar.

Triple A will conclude on July 26.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018