Three young graduates of Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi (FJWU), Natasha Iqbal, Summiya Khan and Sumbal Mushtaq present their artworks for the first time in Karachi at Karachi School of Art Gallery recently. The exhibition title 'First Step' is appropriate as this is the first independent exhibition of these artists outside their home town. The artists use three different techniques of art practice - oils, miniature and printmaking. The oils and miniature are uniquely blended with printmaking technique bringing variety to the show.
Each of the artists demonstrates quality and character of the medium they are using. They show diversity in their expression in different mediums. Their work depicts confidence and attachment to the medium they have chosen. They seem to build a great understanding of their discipline.
Natasha Iqbal wants to find out the reality of human existence. Her works raise questions surrounding the existence and the world at large. She tries to figure out the life spanning through past, present and future. She wants to clear her confusion of living a life as a human being. She wants to know the difference between the real life and the eternal one. Is the world we are living in real or just a reflection of cross existences. Her paintings shows boxes and squares mainly in black and white merging and submerging into one another just like humans trying to find their real place in the world.
The unified, intermingled and thoughtful art pieces of Summiya Khan emerge from printmaking. She visually portrays a particular massage through art language. Her compositions show her interest in art. Her work stretched from drawing still life to human figure drawing. Besides printmaking she also studied drawing, sketching in pencil, charcoal and pastel and photography at FJWU. Therefore by using all techniques she produces artworks in black and grey that conveys various social messages to the viewer and sometimes they are the voice of their hearts. Thus her work is based on self-expression and self-exploration. She use collograph, etching dry point, wood cut, lino, monoprint, aquatint etc in developing prints. The lines, poles and complex towers fascinated her the most.
The simple drawings of Sumbal Mushtaq say a lot. Her work revolves around common things which we see and use in our daily life yet ignore their connection to us while living our lives. Her imaginations bring out the paintings full of expression, feelings, thoughts, dreams, and emotions that flow inside us all the time. The simplicity of her compositions certainly expresses her deeply emotional concern. She uses simple things around her that she finds extremely expressive in arousing a compelled feeling and emotion. Her works give a more in depth idea about that object and develop a different perception about it. She gives meaning to her subject according to her own understanding and let others to perceive it in the way they want to. Over all the body of works included in the exhibition were thought provoking and invite viewers to indulge and ponder.
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