Artistic expression of contemporary calligraphy

Islamabad

‘Alfaaz’ - a group exhibition showcasing contemporary calligraphy paintings by four artists will be on at MyArtWorld, 5-A, Aga Khan Road, F-6/3, during the holy month of Ramazan. The exhibition features a genre of calligraphy that each of these artists have developed through experimentation and their unique artistic expression. ‘Alfaaz’ means words.

Muhammad Ibraheem hails from Quetta, and completed his BFA from the University of Balochistan. Despite his unique style, the artist does not showcase his work often and likes to spend a lot of time on each piece until it reaches the point where he has envisioned it before starting. He has been teaching painting and calligraphy since he graduated as he feels giving back is a part of his artistic process.

Mahjabeen Atif graduated from the National College of Arts, pioneer batch of Rawalpindi campus 2005-2009. Her first exhibition was at the PNCA in 2010 after her thesis followed by a two person show at Nomad Art Gallery in Islamabad.

Initially, Mahjabeen’s paintings were depictions of the objects in her surroundings that inspired her but soon she discovered her passion towards calligraphy.

“A contemporary form of calligraphy is how I define my style,” she says. “I have learnt and morphed traditional calligraphy into a style that is entirely mine. I use bold and vivid colors as these sacred words need to be aesthetically pleasing to the viewer."

Tayyaba Aziz is an Islamabad based cubist. She works with complex forms and figures using oil on canvas as a medium. Her paintings are full of life and bright colors. "Being an artist, I found myself very close to God. I am amazed by the beautiful creativity and artistry of the All Knowing. He, who creates everything balanced and proportionate has no competition with mankind. In my humble effort I have used these verses and Alfaaz in my abstract cubist style. It was an experiment and a new experience which appealed to my inner most self."

Rabia Dawood graduated with a BFA degree from Karachi University in 2007 and started her artistic practice. "My paintings consist of oil/acrylic,” she says. “I am also working on contemporary miniature techniques using mixed media to build layers as I paint the calligraphic verses. It is an attempt to highlight the Quranic verses using the same theme and concept that I work with while painting other forms and figures."