eaconhouse National University (BNU)’s Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design (MD-SVAD) recently put up their 17^th Annual Degree Show at the varsity’s Tarogil Campus. The week-long exhibition was inaugurated by Michael Houlgate, area director at British Council, and the dean of MD-SVAD, Prof Rashid Rana.

This year, the work of 84 graduating students from Textile Design, Fashion Design, Visual Arts, Visual Communication Design, and Jewellery & Accessory Design Departments was displayed. The showcase was a glorious proof of not just the students’ creative imagination and understanding of art but also of their understanding of the world around them. The minds of these young artists carefully and wholeheartedly expressed themselves on topics as diverse as gender, digitisation and nostalgia, through the lens of film/ TV camera.

Faheem Abbas’s A Form Arrives Unknown seemed to give life to forms that had been driven out of his imagination. Eventually, it was about visualising the simplest forms of reality in shapes that seemed to oscillate between the familiar and the unfamiliar. Talking about his work, Abbas said, “For some this one piece would resemble a horse, for some it might be an elephant; that’s how communication establishes between individuals - through form, a vessel of ideas and thoughts, which then leads to my connection with them.”

Artist Ghaffar Masih established a unique connection with the title of the popular national song, Dil dil Pakistan, in his work, highlighting the contradictions embedded in the concept of patriotism.

In his series, Rung, Usman Allauddin explored the paradoxes of cinema viewing in the modern world. He took the example of director Sarmad Khoosat’s as-yet-unreleased film, Zindagi Tamasha — whose theatrical release was halted due to the controversy it landed — and strived to deconstruct some of its visuals, emphasising on ‘colour’ being the foundation of communication, while simultaneously highlighting censorship curbs. “I favour a simple expression over a complex thought,” he said, on the occasion.

In an attempt to voice the concerns of the ‘others’, especially the religious minorities in our country, artist Ghaffar Masih established a unique connection with the title of the popular national song, Dil dil Pakistan, in his work. He highlighted the contradictions embedded in the concept of patriotism.

Fatima Asim’s work debated popular issues with gender binaries and identities in flux, while Maryam Ashraf sought to bridge the gap between nature and digitisation.

The works of other artists on display were no less mesmerising and engaging. It was a joy to witness the growth of art as a subject in Pakistan, and how art is shaping the individuals who are able to create beautiful work that also starts conversations between the artists and their audience.