Written by: Varda Nisar
Posted on: June 25, 2018 | 
| 中文
Untitled by Ayesha Siddiqui
The word curate has come to mean many things, thanks to its adaptation and appropriation in various fields beyond the artistic and creative circles! For me, however, the word will always be linked to providing a new lens for approaching the visual arts and related materials; a fresh perspective that had hitherto been missing. A well-curated show has the ability to make one dwell deeper into the multiple meanings that had remained unexplored in an artwork.
One such example is the show currently on view at Gallery 6, Islamabad, titled, “Raked Reveries” – a two-person show by Ayesha Siddiqui and Riaz Rafi, a duo one is unlikely to imagine together. The show is primarily an exercise in binary opposition - Rafi is abstract while Ayesha tilts towards Impressionism; Ayesha is a trained artist while Rafi is a journalist by training; Rafi is a senior artist while Ayesha is a relatively new kid on the block. Their subject matters also contrast, for while Rafi’s work focuses on human subjects, Ayesha’s looks upon landscapes and nature.
But the show works, and it works for a great number of reasons. Firstly, there is the mutual preference for bold colours that jump out and capture your attention. The modernist influence on their work is also quite evident, but for the purpose of this review, let us shift focus to their own particular styles. Both the artists have not named their works – which works for Ayesha’s oeuvre, and in Rafi’s case, this aids in compounding the abstraction further.
Riaz Rafi’s work is dominated by silhouettes, shadow and eyes which repeat themselves and seem to blend into one another. Thus, the abstraction not only becomes a technique but also a narrative, which helps in disguising his subject’s true self. His genius, however, seems to come forth most effectively either in his big canvases or the small ones. For in the smaller, it seems that the power of his form is contained but just so, and any minute now the subject would escape from the edges. In the big canvases, he has enough space to effectively communicate his vision, and the complex drama his subjects are undergoing.
Within Ayesha’s work, there is a constant dichotomy at play – there are the vertical trees which stand in contradiction to the flatness of the fields in which they are placed. The depth itself is hinted at through the horizontal swatches of colors, indicating the flowing crops. Multiple characteristics of her work help in holding together this entire body – there are the rays falling from the sky after having filtered through clouds, thus allowing for an interesting play of light; and then there’s the fact that the works compose only of natural elements, with no intrusion by man or beast. The brilliance of the works lies in Ayesha being able to effectively communicate the time and mood of the environment that she has captured. No two works are similar, despite the close association of the colour palettes. Ayesha’s strength, in contrast to that of Rafi’s, is lost in her smaller work. She needs the space to explore her landscapes and the relationships between the colours.
The show has been presented with much thought. The selection of works and their placement in relation to the different styles, as well as the overall flow of the gallery, leaves little space for doubt that the selection and juxtaposition of these two artists has been brilliantly carried out.
The exhibition will continue till 1st July, including weekends, daily from 11 am to 7 pm.
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