French embassy returns to PNCA after a long break

Islamabad : It was after a prolonged break, basically enforced by the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, that the French embassy in Islamabad returned to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) with an art exhibition titled ‘Lumieres’ which opened in one of the spacious galleries Thursday (December 9) evening.

And one felt that art has evolved over the last two years or may be a bit more to a great extent. Or, at least one felt like that because one had gone there expecting some paintings on canvas done with colours and brush!

And then it dawned that it was an ‘art exhibition’ and not a painting exhibition! And an árt exhibition’ it was indeed and pretty powerful and intriguing one must say.

Works of French and Pakistani artists, including Christine Ferrer, Farida Batool, Genevieve Gleize, Marium Agha, Risham Syed and Safaa Erruas were on display in the exhibition.

One is sure that the ‘Light Bodies’ by Christine Ferrer, the French fashion model turned artist and the ‘Volvarian’ and the ‘Light Wolf’ by Marium Agha had no intention of looking at the things in that way but somehow it reminded one of the senseless and animalistic Sialkot incident!

Though the headless bodies ion Christine Ferrer’s display appeared to be dancing joyously, the live images of the mob lynching a helpless man in Sialkot seemed to be moving in the same ‘head less and mindless’ manner.

And so seemed to be depicted by Marium Agha in her art work done in stitch work, bringing forth the faces of dreaded animals behind human faces.

The white panels of Safaa Erruas, the Moroccan artist, who had graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Tetouan, titled as ‘Parallel Paths’ speaks of her thoughts of ‘absence, immateriality, transparency, and fragility’ but for one from the sub-continent who had lived in the Cholistan desert, white is ‘protection’ from the hostilities of nature in the extreme weather conditions’.

The two panels of Safaa Erruas titled as ‘Parallel Paths’ put on display in the exhibition reflected a very soothing and at the same time very intriguing feelings.

The photographs put on display by Genevieve Gleize, showing window grils and rails of homes somewhere in Morocco, seemed so familiar because similar rail and gril work could be seen in the old homes of Punjab.

The photographer artist must have had nostalgic feelings about those windows and balconies and there seems to be a sense of belonging that one can feel while looking at those pictures put on display.

Overall, it was a good art exhibition, providing an opportunity to art lovers not only to look at the works of the artists who have been brought together by the French Embassy in Islamabad but also to have a good interaction after such a long time.

The exhibition curated by Zara Sajid and Stephane Borsa is open to public viewing till December 20th, will throw open the doors for many more foreign missions to come up with such art and cultural activities while the COVID SOPs continue to scaled down.