ISLAMABAD: A group exhibition featuring evocative works by three established artists challenging the stereotyping of women, nuanced experiences of womanhood, resilience and the universal search for connection and meaning opened at Tanzara Gallery on Thursday.

Poignant and thought-provoking, the show brings together three distinct artistic voices, each exploring themes of social complexities, femininity and human experiences through unique perspectives.

As gallery director Noshi Qadir noted, “Echoes and Resonances’ offers an exploration of liminal spaces where we find reflections of our own experiences and the shared resonance of the human condition.”

Farazeh Syed is a multi-disciplinary visual artist whose work spans painting, printmaking, mixed media and textile art. Her drawings, showcased in the exhibition, embody the liminal space between observation and creation, where external reality meets the internal realm of memory and imagination.

A faculty member at the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, Farazeh’s artistic journey includes studying at Parsons School of Design and the Art Students League in New York, as well as extensive training under renowned painter Iqbal Hussain. A true disciple of renowned painter Iqbal Hussain, she learnt painting for 16 years honing her visual and conceptual vocabulary.

Farazeh’s graphite drawings on wasli, such as ‘Can You Hear My Roar’, ‘My Body Is Not an Ornament’, and ‘The English Chair’, depict the strength, resilience and defiance of empowered women. These works confront social stereotypes and cultural oppression, raising questions about identity, gender roles and power dynamics in Pakistan’s patriarchal society.

“Drawing is a subjective language for me,” says Syed, adding that, “it occupies the liminal space where the external world meets the internal — a vision, a memory, an imagining”.

Through her art, she challenges traditional representations of women, asserting that they have long been objectified and portrayed as passive symbols of sensuality and submission. Her reinterpretations aim to dismantle these reductive narratives and highlight the complex realities of femininity.

The work of Laila Rahman, an established visual artist, printmaker and curator, reflects her experience growing up during the regime of military dictator Ziaul Haq in the 1970s.

Rahman’s pieces, including ‘Batin’ (Core), ‘Khwahish’ (Desire) and ‘Bagh-i-Tilism’ (Garden of Enchantment) series are rendered in oil, graphite and acrylic on wood.

Her use of the circle, a recurring motif symbolising infinite possibilities and connection, underscores her exploration of loss, longing and the quest for meaning.

In ‘Lalkar’ (Battle Cry) and ‘Appearing’, she employs bold lines and vibrant blue hues to evoke the delicate balance between chaos and hope.

‘The circle’, Laila explains, “is a space of infinite possibilities, having no beginning or end. It speaks to connections that bind me to all I have lost — people, homes and gardens. Amid chaos, the hope of the enchanted garden remains a promise.”

Saulat Ajmal brings a bold and spontaneous approach to the exhibition. A visual artist, writer and faculty member at NCA, Ajmal’s acrylic paintings, such as ‘Disappearing’, ‘Hinged’, and ‘Retracting’, embrace unpredictability and risk, celebrating the feminine sublime through a lens of self-determination and impulsive creativity. These works defy conventional structures, inviting viewers to witness the tension between control and liberation.

Her practice extends beyond painting to include performances and installations that dissect social constructs of feminism, religion and sexuality. Her works engage with the concept of the ‘other’, reflecting on identity in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Through her writing and curatorial projects, she continues to explore these intersections, producing publications and events that amplify contemporary art and critical discourse.

The exhibition which will continue until Nov 27 from Monday to Saturday from 11:30am to 7pm encourages visitors to delve into the intersections of memory, loss and connection, where the known and unknown converge.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2024