The Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design at Beaconhouse National University recently held its MA ADS Degree Show 2024, showcasing the creative works of 11 students from across the country.

Haris Qayyum, the director for Strategy and Operations at The Asia Foundation, and BNU’s vice chancellor Dr Moeed Yusuf inaugurated the exhibition. Prof Rashid Rana, the dean of MDSVAD, and faculty members were also present on the occasion. The thesis was supervised by renowned artist, art critic and educator, Quddus Mirza and curated by Ammar Faiz.

The works on display highlighted various themes regarding gender hierarchy in societies, utopian cities, the sacrality of mundane objects and the totems of the subconscious. The artists had showcased their works in a variety of mediums in accordance with their artistic inquiries. Lahore-based artist Hamza Rana deployed ordinary objects of significance to him in his installations. Childhood toys, wheelbarrows, old TV sets and worn-out suitcases that are often unnoticed and considered profane in the quotidian context were consecrated in order to emphasise their cultural value in our lives.

Maryam Umar explored gender hierarchies associated with the domestic setting in her series of works, through an array of unconventional mediums. While also commenting on the secluded romance that exists between couples in our conventional norms through paintings, Umar resorted to gastronomy and embroidery to reflect upon the archetypal gender stereotypes that are linked with women in a patriarchal society.

Aanoosh Aamer challenged the perception regarding the surface on which an artwork is deemed worthy, with a subconscious juxtaposition of vivid colours. She chose newspapers, pale pages of an old novel and photographs through a therapeutic smearing technique.

Hikma Nasir, on the other hand, utilised translucent organza cloth to inscribe Parveen Shakir’s amorous verses to ruminate on the purity and elegance of the human experience of love.

The impermanence of material was explored in Nimra Sabir’s momentary installations. She used ephemeral substances such as wax, ice and soap bubbles to dive into a philosophical inquiry about human existence.

The semiotics of repetition was examined by Abida Dahri through an immersive projection of a web of variables used in syntax and sequential speech, floating across space. Dahri aimed to underscore the shared human experience through repeated patterns that vacillated on an individual point.

Beenish Saraz focused on emojis as symbols in order to interpret human behaviour and the impulse to be acknowledged on social media platforms by an unknown audience. This urge compels several users to mould themselves according to the norms of technology.

In contrast, Tehreem Saleem exalted the rotund female figure by accepting the labels through which they are scrutinised. Her gestural drawings of the female body were hybridised with porcine and bovine features all the while incorporating animal fat to remark on the descriptive terms of dehumanising and objectifying the female body.

Wasay Ejaz applied his architectural background by crafting futuristic cities that oscillated vertically according to the circadian cycle. Ejaz prophesied his version of a utopia/ dystopia through animations and digital drawings which depicted the consequential impact of human existence on the planet and its daunting effect on humanity.

Syeda Jabeen Qadri’s drawings stitched together a stream of conscious and subconscious mind through a series of conceptual icons of life and historical tales which were placed in odd settings such as hung on coat hangers and pegs to dry on, or placed inside plastic bags and sealed in withering window frames, in an attempt to reconstruct the relationship between the senses and the self.

Summaya Hasan’s research-based practice explored the philosophical concerns of artist Zubeida Agha. Hasan drew parallels between her and Agha’s practices by deploying various tangible materials to reflect on the physical and metaphysical state of the space shared between humans. Her ethereal sculptural forms and installations were suspended in the air which contemplated the complexities between the familiar and the unfamiliar worlds.

All artworks exhibited at the degree show were interdisciplinary and multi-sensorial. They challenged the established beliefs about art by offering instinctive clarification and stimulating a counter dialogue between the visual and its observer.

The writer is an interdisciplinary artist and educator based in Lahore

The artworks highlighted various themes regarding gender hierarchy in societies, utopian cities, the sacrality of mundane objects and the totems of the subconscious. The artists had showcased their works in a variety of mediums in accordance with their artistic inquiries.