Art dipped in Sufi mysticism goes on show today

Islamabad

An exhibition of paintings based on verses of Rumi and Sufi practices opens at Gallery 6 today (Thursday), featuring four prominent artists namely, Sadaf Farasat, Shafiq Farooqi, Khusro Subzwari and Farrukh Shahab. The exhibition is titled “… in a hundred silent ways.”

Sadaf Farasat is a Pakistani artist based in Kuala Lumpur. She received informal training in drawing from artist Saeed Akhtar in Lahore long time ago and has been painting for more than two decades. Although she gets her inspiration from various phenomena and philosophies, her work is mostly inspired by Sufism. Sadaf presents stunning artworks on Rumi’s spiritual verses in this exhibition, with her 8 huge canvases prominent for their bold fascinating strokes. She states, “As a follower of Rumi, I do whirling on canvas with the strokes of my painting tools. I continue my own ‘sema’ on canvas until a piece is created which gives me satisfaction.”

Each of Sadaf’s paintings has a theme and conveys a message of love for Allah. Her works show progression as more maturity in treatment and completion are distinctly noticeable in comparison to her last exhibition in November 2014 at Gallery 6. A book on collection of her past paintings on Mevlana Rumi’s verses ‘Rhythm of a Mystic Heart’ is also available for sale at the show.

Shafiq Farooqi is the senior most artist in the group and will be celebrating his 75th birthday this year. Farooqi reflects the light of inner self (of Mevlana Rumi) on canvas in colourful impressive ways with his dancing brush. His paintings are based on an enlightened inner being and not intellectual wisdom; they centre on revelation, not logic. Changing tones and a variety of colours show his command over their use in creating various feelings and sensations.

To date, Farooqi has expressed his impressions, observations and experiences in more than 10,000 artworks shown in over 100 solo shows and several group exhibitions in Pakistan and abroad. Besides Pakistan and Europe, a large collection of his works are also in Turkey at the Dolmabahce Saray and Chiraghan Saray Museum, Top Kapi Palace, National Art Museum, Press Museum, Memar Senan University-Istanbul, Tyfur Sanliman Huca on Spiritual Art and The National Art Museum Ankara. His recently published 5th book ‘The Tale of Drunken Flute in Whirling Dervish’ will also be available on sale at the exhibition.

Khusro Subzwari got introduced to the mysticism of Sufi practices when he visited Istanbul in 2011 for an exhibition. The ‘sema’ sessions and the ‘aura of spirituality’ surrounding the whirling dervishes deeply touched him and awakened his senses significantly to spiritual meditation. His five paintings in the show feature flashes of light reaching the dervishes, as if referring to a spiritual path and the mystic way that can lead to discovery of truth. His two paintings in circles present a perspective of whirling dervishes from above. A red dot in the middle indicates the head of the dervish and spinning movements of brushes around it create sensations as if the dervish is lost in a whirl of motion and colour, and is reaching towards the heavenly world. Describing this, the artist explained, “This suits the movement of the dervish, because this is the way that the whole universe moves, and I believe that this is connected to spirituality, and the higher powers which are unknown to us.”

Farrukh Shahab’s ‘faqirs’ appear to be in search of divine truth and love. However, they appear consciously silent as words, being limited, can never really express the perfection of the Absolute, the Unbound. They seem to be in search of their inner being and in the process losing their partial existence by rejecting worldly needs. They seem to be attempting to attain the level where they can truly witness the ‘Perfection of the Absolute.’ Using his personal face for ‘faqirs’ with different devotional gestures creates mystical inquisitiveness and intensifies appeal and interest in the work.

The spiritually soothing exhibition will continue till January 19 at Gallery 6 located on second floor of Al Abraaj Centre in Super Market, F-6.