Peeping through the paintings into a different social system of people living around you is a diverse experience. Many artists have been inspired by the rural life of Sindh and portrayed it in their paintings Ali Abbas Jafri is one of those artists but his style is different in a way that he got inspired only by the nomadic women from rural Sindh. "Gard Baad" or the Dusty Winds was the title of his recent exhibition at Clifton Art Gallery which was focused on the lives of ordinary women from the nomadic tribes.
Currently Assistance Professor in Department of Fine Arts at Centre of Excellence in Art and Design (CEAD), Mehran University, Jamshoro, Ali Abbas has acquired Masters Degree in Fine Arts from University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
In the said series he tried to depict gypsies' migration and settlement which they do most often according to the seasons and circumstances. Their way of life demands are such that they keep on moving for their existence, depending upon the weather conditions, shelter, food and water. That's how they live and they are happy with it and Ali's current series portray their way of life in a very skilled manner.
One finds the glimpses of natural beauty in delicately rendered women and children figures portrayed in traditional costumes in his paintings. Their ragged but colourful costumes make a bright environment in a dull backdrop of dusty winds.
He selected the theme that revolves around women as a woman plays a pivotal role in the tribal set-up. She is responsible to lookafter children, do household chores and fetch water from distant wells. Thus the nomadic life widely depends on them for their existence.
Most of the artworks were the reflection of the day to day lives that nomadic people live during their settlement in rural Sindh. The nomads are the restless ones, the wanderers whose life's journey never ends always in a journey. But they live happily in the small world of their own. They have chosen this life for themselves and are happy with it.
Facing hardships is a part of a nomadic life. Beside all this they have their own traditions with respect to living and dressing which they inherit from their ancestors. And Ali provides these glimpses of nomadic life rendered in the form of drawings and paintings.
The paintings reveal patched temporary abodes, the colourful dresses, women with heavy jewellery and children in their mothers' lap. He has created expressive impressions by the use of strong brush strokes where light and shade has played a major role. This play of light and shade gives a subtle strength to the background of the paintings. He describes every situation in detail revealing each and every minor aspect of life. His paintings are visually appealing he used water colour to explore the lives of nomads of Sindh. He used various hues of red, blue, green and ochre along with earthy tones of brown for the background which gives a deeper look to his paintings.
Ali tried to explore the typical lives of nomads which give a powerful message of struggle. He reveals their somewhat lost world. They live a free life according to their will in an accustomed way. Their cultural norms give them wisdom of life and Ali's work reflects their sensitive and thought provoking life. His paintings introduce you to the nomadic life - their hardships and smiles, their mood of living and their multi-faceted and multiple roles. nadeemzuberi71@gmail.com