A group of four female artists here Wednesday displayed their art works featuring figurative art and symbolism to visualize the feminine sensitivity on canvas. ‘The Spark’, a group show of paintings by Aimen Manzoor, Amna Rahman, Khadijah Rehman and Zara Asgher, was put on display for general public and art lovers at Satrang Art Gallery under the banner of cultural diplomacy to promote art and artists.The paintings explored the body and its invisible energetic force uniting it with its surroundings. The exhibition considers the ancient knowledge that the body retains the energetic response of individuals connecting to each other, environments, ideas or even themselves.
Aimen Manzoor explores the relationship to the ordinary or seemingly mundane. The compositions and stark colors of her paintings warp these otherwise simplistically realistic or banal scenes, drawing attention to her subjects engaged in habitual and repetitive activities.
A figurative painter by interest, Manzoor likes to play with scale in her paintings. A contrast can be seen in her work regarding this- on one hand she works on large scale canvases in oils and on the other, she works on small scale illustrative portraits, rendered in watercolors.
“My work characterizes itself as mostly figurative by nature. I take inspiration from the everyday happenings and experiences. My work revolves around translating compositions I find interesting from my observation of everyday into paintings.
“The figurative nature of my work is complemented by a few odd characteristics such as breaking the traditional way of painting a landscape horizontally, I have resorted to painting it vertically.
“Moreover, a very odd saturated color of the sky and a very off perspective makes the paintings somewhat surreal but also portrays how I connect to my surroundings,” Aimen commented on her work.
Khadijah Rehman also explores the familiar – often the familial or fictitious, delicate moments captured within her intricate paintings. She borrows from family photographs which she embellishes with vivid patterns, minute details and traditions of Persian and Mughal miniatures.
The deliberate inclusion of unlikely elements such as exotic motifs, the placement of animals and other dreamlike imagery create staged and layered tableaus, exploring relationships and interactions.
