The patriotic lot

Art can be expressed in the form of a colourful picture painted by the hands of a visionary painter; in the form of various and innovative objects made by talented artisans or in the form of a beautiful figure made by the hands of a creative sculptor. However, the fact is that creating a piece of art is not just anyone’s cup of tea. prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Art is something that withholds the test of time and manages to appeal to the audience of all races and ages. This is why it is important for a nation to have artists that can go beyond the borders and add to the country’s name. The more unique and expressive the art is, the more it will be praised and recognized. Luckily, Pakistan is not short of artists that can woo us all with their creativity. And these very artists went all out this year by contributing their talent to a group show held at Grandeur on the 14th of August to mark the 68th Independence Day of the country. Yes, these painting with the Independence Day theme were striking, inspiring and patriotic.

The group show included the work of more than 20 artists. The special aspect of the exhibition was that the art on display was not specifically related to celebrating Independence Day but instead, gave a comment on numerous subjects and issues related to the Pakistani society.

Akram Spaul’s tribute to the Pakistani flag was simple. There were four images in one piece that were differentiated by the lightness of shades and the breeze which was causing the flag to flutter in four different ways. The four parts of the pontiff presented the four provinces of Pakistan and highlighted the fact that no matter how different we are, at the end of the day we belong to the same nation.

The other painting, which has an airplane moving across the clear blue sky as the Pakistani flag takes centre stage is a representation of the artist’s patriotism. The painting received so much attention at the exhibition mainly because it was simple and yet managed to grab the attention of the art lovers present there. It also stirred up feelings of pride and love for the country.

Landscapes allow artists the luxury to interpret nature as freely as they can and Sabiha Nasruddin shifted the focus towards that. Her landscape was indicative of the versatility that Pakistan has to offer in terms of concepts. There are so many different cultures in our country and every province has something unique about it.

Artist Rind also exhibited his artwork that was created in the style he has adopted in the recent years. The artist has a fondness of putting art and poetry together. So his rustic women wearing traditional attire against a colourful backdrop are always accompanied by a Faiz Ahmed Faiz poem, hinting at the coming together of the gham-i-jaanan and the gham-i-dauran.

However, the most striking artwork in the show belonged to Farrukh Shahab. The image of a faqir-like figure (perhaps of the artist himself) with long hands and tattered clothes was a sight that invoked multiple ideas. On the one hand it came across as a personal comment on the way Farrukh perceives life, on the other it seemed symbolic of the elusive spirituality that everybody talks about but no one seems to have found.

Overall, the exhibition was interesting as it provided us with a chance to view art that was patriotic yet inspiring.

You! takes a look at an exhibition that took place to mark the 68th Independence Day of Pakistan...