At a cursory inspection, O Art Space’s exhibi­tion ‘Defined’ is a celebration of preci­sion. Bringing together four artists who exert a high level of control over their artistic practice, not one brush stroke here is out of place and each line is intentional.

However, there’s much more than just technique that brings these works together into a cohesive, thoughtfully curated experience at this gallery in Lahore. We see an exploration of colour and grayscale in both Zaid Baloch and Unab Sumble’s work, and the vibrant green from Sumble’s offering turns up in both Bazil Habib and Mamoon Tahir’s pieces. Themes of inter-dimensionality and dreamscapes are shared between Tahir, Habib and Baloch — while Tahir, Sumble and Habib ask us to look deeper at everyday scenes and items.

Habib notes that, “I deconstruct familiar settings to create surreal environments.” Defined spaces and perspectives are reinterpreted to represent the intersection of the everyday with the spiritual. According to Habib, “Windows offer a glimpse into desired views, while steps represent the dual paths of growth towards light or descent into darkness.” In his diptych The Fragile Dialogue, Habib evokes a sense of a mirror world. A chair, well defined in our three dimensional world, is reduced to a simple set of lines, almost electric in nature, in the mirrored two dimensional pane. Through the shadows and crossing lines on the floor we’re reminded of the rays of a tesseract — a moment suspended in time, hinting at the elusive fourth dimension.

Four artists play with the concepts of time, space and memory to craft an exhibition bursting with ideas

Baloch similarly explores themes of time, memory and other dimensions in his surreal dreamscapes. For Baloch, definition is a process that happens over time, with reflection and the perspective that distance brings. As he puts it, “Fragments of my past — moments given by nature and lessons learned throughout my life’s journey that I didn’t fully appreciate at the time…surface as random visuals…often in fluid forms like water. I relate these visuals to my past and weave stories around them in my imagination.” In Abstract Reverie we can see the fluid forms of Baloch’s memories in phantasmic colour. We’re given the impression that if we look away for a moment, the canvas will begin to writhe and, with each viewing, will show us something different.

While Baloch’s canvases seem to capture movement in time, Sumble’s work is more of a freeze frame. A sense of quiet and stillness pervades these images. In Untitled I, Sumble creates the perception that we’re privy to a cherished memory, with the scene preserved in the archives of the mind. Details may fade into two dimensions, like the rose petals, or become distorted, like the pop art-ish teapot, but what’s important is defined — such as the smile of a loved one. That memory remains intact.

Tahir, on the other hand, gives us a set of canvases that are a riot of colour and fantastical scenes — nothing mundane about a giant winged panther landing on your tennis court! Tahir is exploring how perceptions define and “shape the worlds we inhabit, both real and imagined.” His piece, A Humongous Creature, reveals a sense of humour and playfulness in the artist. We’re immediately sent to the world of dreams and fantasy, where saturated colours give our perspective a run for its money, and we suspend disbelief in order to hold the tennis player, framed by flowers, in the same image as the eponymous humongous creature. The immediate question in the viewer’s mind is: what happens next?

‘Defined’ takes us on a journey where time, space and memory mingle, where reality can be distorted or preserved, and where four artists peel back the curtain on what truly defines them.

‘Defined’ was on display at O Art Space, Lahore from August 23-September 2, 2024

The writer is an Australian based in Pakistan. She is an avid enthusiast of contemporary Pakistani art and culture

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 15th, 2024