‘The Onrushing 2’ brings 8 talented emerging artists to town

Islamabad: A group exhibition titled ‘The Onrushing 2’ and featuring the works of eight talented artists opens at Gallery 6 today (Saturday) with the High Commissioner of Australia Margaret Adamson performing the inaugurating. The participating artists are Doda Khan Badini, Faiz Supro, Javed Iqbal Mughal, Kishwar Kiani, Maham Mujtaba, Rubab Jawaid, Sajjad Nawaz and Unab Sumbal.
Doda Khan Badini from Quetta acquired a B.Sc in 2014 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Interestingly, he is the only one in the group who is a self-taught artist. However, art seems to be in his genes as he is a relative of Akram Dost, who now has more than 10 well-established artists in Pakistan from his family. The outstanding and powerful male and female portraits done by him are not only infused with bold lines depicting expressive features but are also extremely impressive. They certainly reflect the interest of the artist in human psychology.
Faiz Supro from Hyderabad did his B.FA from the Center of Excellence in Art & Design, Jamshoro, in 2012. Since then, he has participated in 16 group shows in Pakistan and one in India. He works with lines drawn by pen, depicting various perspectives of ordinary peoples’ lives and their various moods. His compositions are an interesting blend of various shades of black interspersed with small areas of color patterns drawn from Sindhi culture. Discussing his works, Faiz stated “It is a mode of conversation for me that not only narrates cultural life but also subtly highlights its issues.” The painting of the music player is a good example of this statement.
Javaid Iqbal Mughal, who was born in Sheikhupura in 1987 and now works in Lahore has a M.A. (Hons) in Visual Arts from National College of Arts (NCA)and has so far participated in 13 group shows. His current work in the exhibition deals with constant changes in life that occur in an individual such as attitude, habits, communication styles, passions, ambitions, etc. Discussing this, he said “We learn from our past deeds and try to improve our self, every new moment comes with a new lesson, every new day blossoms with new opportunities and targets which portray a new art frame according to the perceptions of the individual. Often, a new frame or a new turn is required in life for courageously taking on the challenges.”
Kishwar Kiani acquired a B.FA in Fine Arts from Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, in 2011 and has been working as a lecturer in her alma mater since 2013. This is her fifth participation in a group show. Kishwar is interested in exploring her world of memories and its prevalent efficacies. For her, these moments mark the progression of the self. Discussing her work, she stated, “Through my drawings I explore moments of stillness and sanctuary. I dig through the crevasses of my past and resurface with old and forgotten stories. I recreate tales of laughter, marks of companionship and relive the nostalgia. I am interested in the banality and triviality of life, of lived moments, which one brushes off or locks away in dusty photo albums.”
Maham Mujtaba graduated from NCA, Lahore, in 2002 and is based in Lahore. Since then, she has participated in seven group shows, four in Pakistan and one each in Dubai, Qatar and China. She works mainly in acrylics on canvas in different sizes. Her focus is on creating images that detach themselves from reality and drift into a world which is surreal, transforming moments which question identity.
Rubab Jawaid is from Lahore and she graduated in miniature painting from NCA in 2016 and since then has participated in 13 group shows. Her work is based on embroidery and fabric. She believes there is lot of similarity in doing embroidery and miniatures painting as both are done with delicacy and in an intricate way. Commenting on her workn she said “As a child, I used to see my mother and grandmother doing embroidery and I got amazed with the stuff, but could not get any time to learn this. But now as a miniature artistn I brought that theme in my work - not the real embroidery but the painted one. I have been painting fabric of cross stitch, threads, embroidery and net. The medium I am working on is gouache on handmade paper and sometimes collage also.”
Sajjad Nawaz is from southern Punjab with M.FA with a gold medal from University College of Arts and Design, Bahawalpur (2013), and Masters with distinction in Visual Arts from NCA Lahore (2015) where he is now a faculty member. In, 2016 he was selected for an artist’s Fellowship at the prestigious Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, UK. He has to his credit, 11 group shows and 4 solo exhibitions.
Like many artists, initially Sajjad was influenced by his surroundings and indigenous cultural heritage and he painted portraits, forts and palaces that celebrate the culture of Cholistan. However, soon the Cholistan Desert or “Rohi” became one of his main sources of inspiration. Currently, his focus is not only the landscapes that depict shifting sands dunes but also panoramic views of cloud formations. Hence, nature has become the main source of his inspiration.
Unab Sumbal from Lahore did her B.FA from College of Art and Design, University of Punjab in 2016. To date, she has participated in 5 group shows. Her current work is titled ‘profound reflection.’ It narrates the impact of people and places in the surrounding environment on an individual. Discussing this, the artist stated “No matter how conscious we are about the people we meet or places we visit, there are always circumstances that leave us longer with people or places we have ever imagined being with.
The exhibition will continue daily till December 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.