jea Zahid’s art exhibition, Unspoken, held at Numaish Gah on Saturday, December 15, captivated both established and aspiring artists. The exhibition explores the transitional space between navigating a patriarchal world and preserving the space claimed by the feminine in society.

The artist reimagines the figurative form, blending it with abstraction to capture the intertwined essence of imagination and reality. Ajea Zahid (b. 2000, Karachi) is a visual artist living and working in Lahore. Her practice reinterprets the figurative form within its environment, intertwining gestural expression and abstraction to subtly examine gender roles. Her work also delves into themes of identity and isolation, subjects that resonate deeply with her nomadic upbringing in a naval family.

Zahid recently graduated from the National College of Arts, and has already made a significant impact on the art scene. Her work has been exhibited at venues such as the VM Art Gallery, Tagh’eer Creative Space, Zahoor-ul Akhlaq Gallery, Gallery 6, Ejaz Art Gallery, Numaish Gah, and O Art Space. Abroad, it has been showcased at The Art Den in Dubai, Frieze 9 Cork Street in London and Muscat Art in Oman.

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Zahid has been a member of Our Shared Cultural Heritage, a youth-led programme that explores the cultures and histories of the UK and South Asia. Currently, she is a teacher at the National College of Arts.

Zahid encourages aspiring artists to remain open to exploration and not to take criticism of their work too personally, highlighting resilience and growth as cornerstones of a thriving creative practice.

Coming from a naval background, the artist has been a first-hand witness to the displacement and isolation that often accompany such a lifestyle. Growing up with stories from her grandfather, she found herself acutely aware of a patriarchal society. Surrounded by male dominance, she taught herself to channel male visibility into her creative expression. The narratives of her ancestors have been transformed into art.

Through depictions of ordinary, everyday life, the artist demonstrates how beauty can be found in the mundane. As Rainer Maria Rilke writes: “If your everyday life seems poor to you, do not blame it; blame yourself. Tell yourself you are not poet enough to summon up its riches; since for the creator there is no poverty and no poor or unimportant place.” It is the artist’s perspective that matters, adding an element of beauty to day-to-day experiences.

Monet and Van Gogh, among others, are her inspirations. The brushstrokes in her paintings not only reflect Van Gogh’s style but also add depth to her work, evoking a distinct sense of movement. Earthy tones dominate her sketches and paintings, creating a visual experience that is both sublime and engaging. Her subtle colour palette does not starkly oppose the monotony of modern life. It rather complements it. For her, painting should focus on specific aspects. Her choice of colours enables her to make a statement about her intent and focus.

In both domestic and public spaces, Ajea has observed an abundance of men. She navigates the overpowering dominance of male presence by breaking through the facade of their supposed immovable strength. Instead, she concentrates on the less conventional aspects of manhood. For her, men are vulnerable. Their vulnerabilities seep into her art and expression.

The solitary male figures in her work reflect the tension between tradition and modernity, centring on moments of contemplation, repetition, passivity and rest. Recently, Ajea has begun portraying women in outdoor settings, creating a contrast where men inhabit traditionally indoor spaces while women are depicted outdoors. This dynamic reversal challenges traditional gender roles and adds depth to her evolving narrative.

With a background in animation, transitioning to the canvas must have been a significant challenge for Ajea. According to the artist, sketching provides her with the freedom for creative expression and allows her imagination to flow unhindered. Oil on canvas, on the other hand, introduces an element of permanence to the fleeting nature of creativity and ideas. She avoids expanding her concepts from photographs, which she believes lose their vitality the moment they are captured. For Ajea, it all begins with a sketch. “I see a world of character in everything that surrounds me. This not only creates a sense of relatability but also imbues the work with a contemplative quality,” she says. Rather than drawing from concrete images, she delves into the deeper, more intense recesses of her collective conscious and unconscious.

Her paintings reveal the artist’s affinity for gesture and abstraction. The interplay and overlap of these elements provide a fitting medium for exploring the complexities of human experience. The blurring of edges and forms lends her portraits a deeply humanistic touch. Her paintings resonate with audiences on multiple levels, rejecting conformity or restriction by fixed forms.

Understanding why the collection was titled Unspoken felt integral to appreciating the work. However, seeking a definitive answer would risk killing the curiosity and stripping the art of the multiplicity of perspectives it offers. The title, much like the collection itself, invites viewers to engage with its open-ended interpretations.

The reviewer is a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore.