A journey of spiritual refreshment

Karachi

The city’s Grandeur Art Gallery is currently host to an exhilarating calligraphy exhibition depicting verses of reassurance and The Almighty’s wonders from the scriptures on canvas.

In all there are 51 works adorning the walls of the gallery. The show is based on the works of 12 artists -- Nazeer Ahmad, Ather Jamal, Waqar Afzal, Al-Firdous, Tarik Tonki, Dastgir Raj, Marium Khan, Arshad Karim, Khurram Saleem, Ahmed Anver, Saleem Bhopali and Fauzia Khan.

All the artists seem to be master colourists and, through the blending of their colours, seem to convey things which have a divine or surreal value.

It would be really hard to rate any of the artists as best or second best. They are all really superb and masterly in the expression of a very difficult theme. There are some who stand out even amid this difficulty of judgement.

For example, there is an illustration by Fauzia Khan. The theme is The Almighty and his supremacy over all that the human eye sees or perceives.

We see a collage of bright coloured birds, hills, brooks, trees and multi-coloured flowers. The idea is to tell the viewer the wonders of The Almighty.

Then there is the Surah Fateha, a masterly artwork on ceramics by Ahmed Anwar. A graduate of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, he has been painting, sculpturing, and excelling in calligraphy and textile and graphic designing. 

He has participated in many solo and group shows both at home and abroad, winning many awards. Many of his calligraphic works adorn the walls of the Karachi Press Club.

Then there are two beautiful murals, reading Allah, by Al-Firdous.

The blending of the colours makes one wonder at the marvels of the universe and takes one many steps closer to God, to imagine his glory. Al-Firdous is a lyrical colourist, indeed.

The exhibition, a must-see for the spiritually inclined, continues up until July 1, 2016. It’d be a spiritual solace to many.