Spirituality revisited

Running at the Artscene Gallery till May 22, ‘Mashq-e-Junoo’ features 38 calligraphic works by five artists: Amin ul Hasnat, Javed Qamar, Muneeb Ali, Noreen Akhtar and Ufaq Ehsan

It seems the plethora of art galleries in town are in a keen competition to outdo one another in holding art exhibitions. The exhibitions are of all sorts, modern art, classical art, surrealism, realism, abstractism, and the rest. 

All the works are a welcome escape for the citizenry that oft remains caught in the vagaries of everyday life. An exhibition of a totally different strand is going on at the Artscene gallery in Clifton; one all about the challenging art of calligraphy and a unique presentation of Islamic scriptures.

Titled ‘Mashq-e-Junoo’, it is a show put up by five artists jointly – Amin ul Hasnat (Lahore), Javed Qamar (Karachi), Muneeb Ali (Lahore), Noreen Akhtar (Lahore), and Ufaq Ehsan (Lahore).

All the works, 38 of them, are highly professional and exceedingly articulate but the “first among equals” is an illustration by Javed Qamar. His depiction of a Quranic verse, the colour combinations and the shading are so profound that one would be leered towards spirituality just by the sight. 

It would certainly force the viewer to see things from a more philosophic, spiritual perspective. Qamar, decidedly, is a profound colourist; the way he conveys a concept most intensely just by the strokes of his brush. His works, all oil-on-paper, are a joy to behold.

Similarly, there are a number of mixed-media-on-paper by Noreen Akhtar from Lahore. She seems to be absolutely at-home with the paint brush as indicated by her masterful strokes.

Same is the case with Amin; his works are an exercise in spirituality. Many of the works embody the features of surrealism which make them all the more other-worldly. 

It is so reassuring to know that even in this highly materialistic age, there still is no shortage of those who view things from a spiritual angle and are not swayed by worldly trends and ways. They just depict other worldly phenomena.  The exhibition continues up until May 22.