CAPITAL CULTURAL SCENE: Beauty of the Northern Areas explored by a landscape photographer

The freak weather creates an unpredictable atmosphere in Islamabad. The dust storms and intermittent sudden downpours reflects the intense emotions hidden within each of us.

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My first invitation was to the preview of a photographic exhibition titled "Northern Beauty" presented by Sheikh Ghazanfar Hussain and hosted by Mr John W. Wall, the country director for Pakistan of the World Bank.
The vibrancy of colour photography fully reveals itself in landscapes, which is Sheikh Ghazanfar Hussain's passion. He has photographed scenes from all over the country but has a penchant for the Northern Areas. The region has an irresistible appeal for tourists, adventure seekers, painters and photographers. The exhibition of his photographs presents a vivid picture of the pristine natural environment of this region.
A senior DMG officer, while serving as Chief Secretary, Northern Areas, he had the rare opportunity of seeing and capturing the excellence of its remotest corners. His work highlights the beauty of rivers, pastures, meadows and flora of Northern Areas with exceptional artistry. His camera has panned scenes far and wide.
Autumn colours seem to be the dominant theme of the exhibition. The Skardu shot showing Mashabrum peak with golden trees in the foreground is simply awesome. The ruggedness of the mountains in juxtaposition with seasonal colours is breathtaking. Coverage of Deosai plains needs to be particularly mentioned. This idyllic landscape with its green pastures and heavenly blue skies has been brought to the doorsteps of Islooites by Sheikh Ghazanfar in its true majesty.
Equally compelling are the scenes from places as diverse as Shamshal and Ghizer. Shamshal had been inaccessible hitherto but has been opened up to the outside world due to construction of a road which Sheikh Ghazanfar had the good fortune to inaugurate. The meandering Indus through the vales of Ghizer and Ishkoman as seen in the pictures leaves one wondering at the exquisite beauty with which nature has endowed this country.
In all the exhibits, there is a sweeping flow and a lively sense of rhythm, which gives it a special flavour. His pictures exude serenity and create a style more akin to painting than photography. Hues blend into each other resulting in different tonalities. Conveyance of a true mood of the landscape rather than its advertisement is the hallmark of his photographic impressions.
Sheikh Ghazanfar's earlier works also evoked keen public interest. One of his photographs portraying Kalash women in a dance sequence was highly appreciated in the photographic exhibition held to mark the International Year of Mountains in August, 2002 at the PNCA gallery, Islamabad. His solo exhibition at Marriot Hotel on the occasion of Golden Jubilee celebration of K-2 and 51st anniversary of Nangaparbat in July, 2004 was visibly applauded by public and the diplomatic community.
Sheikh Ghazanfar is a member of the Islamabad Camera Club and has also participated in many other exhibitions.
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The second event that I attended was an exhibition of Jewellery "Quillai" by Ying Ying and paintings by Yasmin Jaswal at Alliance Francaise d'Islambad that was inaugurated by Mr Patrick Renault, Ambassador of Belgium.
The exhibition brought the two artists together through their art despite coming from different backgrounds.
Ying Ying has spent her first twenty-one years in Belgium, then five years in Australia while she is currently residing in Pakistan where she has been for the last two years.
Her jewellery is created from materials outside the normal periphery such as plastic tubing, screws, rubber cockroaches, ball bearings, soy sauce cartouches and shower curtain rings. Her Chinese heritage inspires and influences her work considerably. Many designs are multifunctional: the same piece can ornament various parts of the body depending on your mood. Ying Ying spent two years at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts studying, jewellery design. Restless for adventure she left the academy early to assimilate the world aesthetics.
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Yasmin was a student of Fine Arts Department at Islamabad College for Girls. It was here she got the opportunity to experiment with various painting techniques and art forms-from landscapes to still life to portraits and textiles.
After her first marriage Yasmin moved to USA, but it was after her second marriage that she accompanied her husband to Africa and fell in love with Kenya, the people, the culture and the tradition. It was this love that inspired Yasmin to return to her love of painting.
Yasmin paints oil colours. Her art is very simplistic, vibrant and ornate; however, it is not without meaning. Predominately Yasmin paints Masai's (African Tribe, her figures are ornate and ordained with gold, silver and copper jewels, which sometimes is misinterpreted as reflecting the materialism of the contemporary world. In fact the richness of the jewels symbolises the wealth of the Masai heart, their kindness, great hospitality and generosity. The bright colours used by Yasmin reflect the lively and optimistic spirits of their souls and love for life.
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Last was an exhibition of paintings by Moeen Faruqi at Khaas Art Gallery titled "A New Realism." There were twenty-two exhibits on display creating subjects and situations with a heightened realism. However, this finer definition is used to infuse each work with a surrealistic touch. The paintings are well defined and meticulously worked to create a theatre-of-the-absurd. Men, women, even animals, come together to enact a weird drama, often humorous and witty, but always haunting and thought-provoking. By creating unreal situations, the works bring into sharp focus each character's distinct eccentricities, mirroring and celebrating our own unique and precious individuality.
The paintings are indeed innovative in their content and each relates its own story.
Another week gone but the moving finger writes on. Days change into weeks and weeks into months. I try my hand at philosophising and I really don't know whether I will succeed but it is definitely worth a try. So long until next week folks......
Copyright Business Recorder, 2005