Young artists take painting to the next level

LAHORE: A group show by three brilliant artists opened at Ejaz Art Galleries with one of the best displays of artistic skills by these young artists who have taken the art of paining in Pakistan to the next level with their highly impressive painting skills and a unique style.

The exhibition is showcasing the recent works of Aun Raza, Sana Saeed and Eeman Khan. One of the participating artists, Aun Raza, believes art is not a very limited platform for any kind of effort or genre; one can merge any kind of thoughts and imaginations into a very unique subject whether it’s a painting, sculpture, miniature or any other genre.

“I have never been satisfied to only one subject or specific criteria of art for myself, because art is an exploration for me, not a limitation. Canvases I paint are always consist of different ideas and executioner elements because I arrange them in a surreal way to tell what I have been experiencing and what my viewers have been neglecting or they never see usual things in those unlike behaviors. Surrealism is a style in art and literature in which ideas, images and objects are combined in a strange way, like in a dream.

My compositions are so much like a dream; one can relate any part of those to his/her present or past. Oil paint is a way more than a medium for me, it allows me to make a stroke which explains about my speaking elements merging with their feelings and deep down depth of what an image can even be that much explained. The sculptures artist paint in his works is sometimes showing his own soul or a selfishness of his character, badness that is a truth and no more hidden. Expressions through these marble souls play a very vital role in his efforts. One can witness oneness of God, attainability through rarity, possessiveness to what belong to, bad dimensions of Satan over skin and spirituality of pious vibes through jewelry in his paintings,” Aun Raza said.

Sana Saeed said: “Whenever we leave we always leave a mark behind, it could be a physical mark on any surface or a non-tangible mark floating in the memory. For me “to live is to leave traces” and my artistic practice revolves around these traces.

Marks on walls, doors, stains on clothes, dust particles on different objects, all these surfaces are collectors of time. Someone was once present to leave a trace behind. My work focuses on the uncertainty of life, for a moment you are present in the strongest appearance and in the second moment you are not. I talk about the “nothingness” which lies between present and past, a stage where person loses his/her sense of belonging. For me all these thoughts and experiences are traces, which are left behind by people to be remembered. I use various mediums to record the presence of time, which is embossed in countless surfaces around us. I never stick to one medium because I believe every memory and trace demands its own medium that’s why I have used mediums like installations, photography, film, writing and painting. My aim is to dig deep inside the surface of my memories and fears to develop a conversation with the audience because to me these are not just memories from the past; to me these are the visual records of the people who were once present.”

According to Eeman Khan, “In a society where women are seen as things on display, ornaments pruned to perfection; I paint my women stripped down, bare, ghostly, confronting, fragile and yet baring a sense of confidence. I choose to paint my subjects when they’re most vulnerable, whether they’re staring directly into your eyes or trying to avoid your gaze.

Carefully arranged in a blank mask, they give nothing away at first glance, but as you look closer, you realise their composure is forced and there is much more to be unveiled. Through my paintings, I aim to portray the inner struggle.”

The exhibition was a grand happening for the artists, art teachers, students and lovers of art alike. A large number of people converged at Ejaz Galleries to view the works.