Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan
Posted on: August 10, 2022 | 
| 中文
Watching Sheep by Ameema Saleem
Dominion Gallery is showcasing the works of new emerging artists in a group presentation curated by Suleman Khilji. The atmosphere of the space is energised by the colourful spatial explorations layered with design elements of figuration, abstraction and optical visualisations.
Participating artists include Aiman Kathia, Aliza Ghaffar, Ameema Saleem, Amna Sadiq Feroz, Hafsa Nouman, Khadija Tariq, Niamat Nigar, Qasim Ali Hussain, Sania Raajput, and Zainab Burhan. Suleman Aqeel Khilji’s artistic practice is immersed in exploring urban topographies in conversation with communities, ecology and history. His curatorial debut sheds a light on understanding the fragility of environments disrupted by urbanism and its impact on young artists.
High Speeds by Khadija Tariq
Each artist has closely examined the building blocks of the creative process by deconstructing line, form and colour to create complex personal narratives. The title of the show “Emerge”, captures the moments of clarity experienced during the artist's visual observations of the self and their surroundings. The group exhibition can be viewed as a collective response to disruptive urbanisation, the rigidity of social interactions and the combative nature of relationships having surfaced during the pandemic. The artists are determined in confronting the difficult subject matter of understanding the subconscious through their individualistic art practice. In “Urban” and “Assembled” by Niamat Nigar, the commercial sack is used as a painting surface incorporating the found text and patterns that are pushed to the foreground. The highly stylised drawing elements are stitched onto the surface, creating an emotive mark-making technique that is open to interpretation.
Urban by Niamat Nigar
Khadija Tariq in her densely populated drawings “High Speeds” and “The Warmest Winter”, packs a sea of whimsical animated characters dizzy with the weight of her introspective reflections on processing reality and life. The interaction between the chequered floors and the multidirectional angular perspectives can be viewed as a manifestation of the artist's personal history. Aiman Khathia’s paintings “Bittersweet” and “Death Wish”, are anchored in the painterly realism of classical portraiture layered with the suggestion of strained coping mechanisms of mental health and emotional wellbeing. The deliberate choice of pastel pink backgrounds and dreamy hues while rendering the skin of the subject, is further emphasised by their pained facial expression. In “Laal Kabootar” and “Hajoom”, Zainab Burhan uses powerful gestural strokes of colour paired with grotesque distortions of facial expressions that are psychological, immediately transporting the viewer into the memories of the artist.
Hajoom ہجوم by Zainab Burhan
Amna Sadiq Feroz and Qasim Ali Hussain use the process of visual deconstruction when studying spatial dynamics. Using colour as a dominating element to create muralistic paintings, the uniform linework reveals observation based on light, direction and repetition. Amna’s diptych paintings have lines running across and vertically in varying thickness, to create a push and pull effect that is visually engaging for the viewer. Qasim Ali Hussain’s paintings “Peace”, “Humanity” and “Love” are balanced and controlled with absolute resolution constructed through the meticulous optical composition of colour and geometry.
Aliza Ghaffar collects fragments of architectural motifs when building “An Insight to Downfall” and “Space Bar'', transforming them into unique sculptural paintings. The collage of solid colour blocks with illustrative perspectives transcends the traditional canvas, reclaiming the edge as an active element of the painting. The MDF board has its own presence that can be associated with windows or doorways, inviting the viewer into another reality. The interior space inspires Ameema Saleem to explore drafting, design and textile patterns in her paintings. The distortion of reality in “Watching Sheep'' & “Untitled'', is created by replacing the linear space with an overwhelming surge of patterns.
An Insight to Downfall by Aliza Ghaffar
The materiality of texture is observed through a microscopic lens in “Wall XVI'' & “Wall XVII” by Hafsa Nouman that replicates the weathering of paint, indicating the artist's deep investigations of her environment. The fine line work paired with the vibrancy of colour in “But we see it from the sky”, have elements of sacred geometry playing with the void of space against pattern-making. Sania Raajput is immersed in a collection of perspectives through minimal colour fields that trigger the imagination by observing colour as an object. In her painting “City” and diptych “Red Blue Yellow Square” & “Red Blue Yellow Tare”, the artist is interested in how the eye travels across the canvas through colour and form, creating compositions that are meditative.
City (Diptych) by Sania Raajput
In this post-pandemic life, artists are now looking inwards in pursuit of understanding the relationships between personal and public spaces. Their visual explorations are the beginning of a wider discussion on how we are relearning interaction with our environment. The show will continue till 27th August 2022.
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