A young and dynamic art platform, OffGrid on Wednesday unveiled its first public exhibition, “Bamboo Reverie, A Creative Residency Journey,” at the National Art Gallery in Islamabad.
It aimed to explore the deep connection between humans and nature, going beyond the surface to understand how we see ourselves as part of the natural world. OffGrid is a very young platform with an experienced team of dynamic artists who presented their first event to the public.
The event was inaugurated by the Federal Minister of Culture Jamal Shah and the central theme of this exhibition was the blend of wilderness and creativity. The exhibition brought Offgrid on the grid as the location was the thalweg of the green Chattar Valley with little connectivity. The OffGrid residency was attended by eleven artists; Akhter Iqbal, Shumaila Rashid, Faiza Gondal, Geytee Ara, Lubna Jehangir, Qurat Ul Ain, Salma Manzoor, Shahidi, Shahrukh Baqi, Shahzeb Ahmed, Sidra Ashraf, and Zarrar Haider Babary.
The group represented accomplished and amateur artists, showing the diversity in the medium, concept and execution.
The exhibition is curated by Geytee Ara, a seasoned art educationist, who has been instrumental in initiating the platform OffGrid and bringing this exhibition on the grid.
According to her, the Residency Chapter 1, aimed to delve into the profound connection between humans and nature, transcending surface-level observations. The famed artists expressed their dreams, memories, behaviours, and roles about nature.
The exhibition reflects their fusion of inner realms and experiences with nature, emphasizing individual work while fostering critical support among participants. This experience has been so encouraging that it will continue to be a biannual feature. The group of artists enchanted by the surroundings, an experience that is rare in city life executed their works with their perspective. Geytee’s residency experience is depicted with a focus on the bright sun as a philosophical symbol.
The sun represents clarity, enlightenment, and the enduring cycle of life. Its radiance illuminates life’s dualities, challenges, and the pursuit of understanding. The terrace view at dusk symbolizes the beauty in transitions, reflecting on impermanence and cyclical existence.
The egrets’ dance becomes a metaphor for harmony, diversity, and the interconnected rhythms of all living things.
