Written by: Sana Shahid
Posted on: January 03, 2025 | 
| 中文
Nest by Emaan Pirzada
The group exhibition "Do You Notice" at Satrang Gallery, Islamabad brings together an impressive array of works by five contemporary artists, each aiming to explore their own existence and connection with whatever exists around them. The show exemplifies the use of diverse artistic mediums to showcase personal and collective narratives.
Aimen Manzoor’s figurative paintings celebrate the vibrancy of everyday life in Pakistan. Works like "Attaullah on a Truck" and "People on a Suzuki" showcase her mastery of oil on canvas, where saturated hues and dynamic compositions bring ordinary scenes to life. Her ability to capture movement, whether in the commotion of a blue rickshaw or the quiet introspection of a woman gazing from a train window, demonstrates her deep observation of the surroundings. Manzoor’s approach to representational art resonates in the exhibition’s broader narrative while she aims to create art that is approachable and understandable for a broad audience. Her art’s charm lies in its ability to make the ordinary extraordinary, inviting viewers to re-examine familiar moments.
Attaullah on a Truck by Aimen Manzoor
Emaan Pirzada’s training in traditional miniature painting is evident in her intricate mixed-media works. Her series including "Hallway of Tranquility" and "Vacant" employs gouache, watercolor, and graphite on wasli to explore themes of topophilia and the emotive qualities of spaces. The interplay of warm and cold tones creates a dynamic tension, reflecting a balance between comfort and alienation. Pirzada’s deliberate disruptions of traditional miniature patterns serve as visual metaphors for disconnection and challenge the conventional meaning of belonging. Her compositions transform physical spaces into evocative mental landscapes, encouraging viewers to consider their relationships with their own environments.
Schezre Syed’s mixed-media works delve into existential questions about presence and orientation in space and time. Her pieces, such as "Fluid Boundaries" and "So We Beat On II," utilize paper, ink and other materials to construct abstract landscapes that mimic the fluidity of human emotions and experiences. Syed’s technique, which incorporates the sculptural qualities of paper, creates a unique visual language where divisions of planes evoke landforms and water bodies. Her work is both a philosophical inquiry and a celebration of the human condition.
Fluid Boundaries by Schezre Syed
Zahra Jadoon’s sculptures and mixed-media pieces explore the human form as an intersection of nature and identity. Works such as "Laminated" and "Portrait I" depict her deep fascination with anatomy and organic materials. Using unconventional media like resin, human teeth and found objects, Jadoon creates pieces that are unsettling yet captivating. Her meticulous craftsmanship and innovative use of materials invite viewers to confront the fragility and complexity of the human body. The tactile richness of her pieces, combined with their conceptual depth, is enough to keep viewers fascinated by what they’re seeing.
Portrait I by Zahra Jadoon
Afreen Fatima’s work focuses on her deep fascination with the sky as a metaphor for connection across distances. Her miniature painting, "A Quiet Story," executed in gouache on wasli, captures her philosophy. At a modest size of 4 x 6 inches, the piece is remarkably powerful, using its restrained palette and intricate brushwork to convey a sense of yearning. Fatima’s thematic focus on shared yet divided spaces, with the sky often acting as a bridge to connect those who are distant, points to a universal experience. Her technique is based on traditional miniature painting and elevates her exploration of themes like solitude into a timeless meditation on human connection.
A Quiet Story by Afreen Fatima
"Do You Notice" achieves a remarkable balance, weaving together the distinct voices of these artists into a cohesive narrative. Each work invites meditation and challenges viewers to consider themes of connection, identity and place. The vision of the curator is evident throughout the exhibition because of this common thread, despite the works being starkly different from one another.
While Afreen Fatima’s celestial explorations provide a sense of infinite connection, Aimen Manzoor’s vibrant portrayals of everyday life ground the exhibition into tangible reality. Emaan Pirzada’s intricate reflections on place and belonging create a bridge between the personal and universal, while Schezre Syed’s abstract landscapes push boundaries, inviting contemplation of the unknown. Zahra Jadoon’s sculptures, on the other hand, question viewers of their connection to the fabric of the natural world.
Women Gazing from the Train by Aimen Manzoor
"Do You Notice" is more than an exhibition. It is an invitation to observe, reflect and connect. Each artist’s work stands as a testament to the power of art to communicate across boundaries, be they cultural, personal or spatial. This thoughtfully curated show is a profound reminder of the enduring relevance of art in making sense of our shared humanity. For viewers, it is not merely an exhibition to be seen, but one to be experienced and remembered.
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