Written by: Sana Shahid
Posted on: January 10, 2023 | 
| 中文
The poster of 'TO YOU' by Khadijah Azhar
“To you,
May love be kinder to you than it has been to most,
May you be filled with laughter and sorrow-less days before you,
May your wings sore through the sky with the winds carrying you above them,
May you never know the pain of being parted from comfort and care,
May the warmth of unconditional love enfold you in its embrace,
To you,
May you smile from your heart and not just from your eyes,
May you have a skip in your step from the flutter in your soul,
May you never swim in your tears to put yourself to sleep,
May you never have to hold yourself to stop the pain in your chest,
May you love, laugh, and live for you.
To you,
Be kind, for you are all you have”
(Khadijah Azhar)
Even in contemporary times when technological advancements are transcending the skies, mental health is still significantly neglected. For some reason, it seems like an issue that is not quite as tangible as other illnesses. But all of us should and must try to break away from this attitude. Fortunately, to tackle this matter, we have artists like Khadijah Azhar, who has raised this debate and provided solutions based on her personal experiences.
The Humming Halo
Khadijah Azhar is a visual artist and an entrepreneur who runs her own studio under the title, ‘Sorchae’. She seems to have it all, talent, creativity, and success, but it would be difficult to guess that she could be battling mental issues. The saying ‘Never judge a book by its cover’ fits perfectly in her case.
Azhar’s exceptional artworks are a reflection of the battle that she has been fighting for years. Her personal encounter with these issues dates back to 2016, when she pursued her Master’s in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy. At that time, she was alone and could hear her thoughts loud and clear. She dealt with this situation fiercely for a period of one year and decided to move back to Pakistan. Over the course of 4 to 5 years, Azhar started her journey to heal and put a stop to the feeling of unrest inside. That’s when the idea of expressing her feelings on a canvas found expression, as stated by the director and curator of the studio Line Green, Alina Akbar. In one of her artworks, Azhar has depicted a map of Florence juxtaposed with a self-portrait and a dragonfly, which holds significant importance in her journey towards healing.
Upstream Cross-Section
Throughout the healing process, Azhar found solace surrounded by nature and its organic essence. Taking inspiration from it, she has portrayed some natural beings like a dragonfly, which symbolizes change, or an octopus symbolizing rebirth. The inclusion of self-portraits remains constant in each artwork, representing the beautiful connection of the artist with nature. Her artworks are an exquisite blend of genres, from drawings and enormous oil paintings to digital manipulations.
Tranquil Furore
Working on building this concept for the last few years, Azhar has also created a personalized painting technique which she refers to as ‘Stacid’. It explores painting on stainless steel with oil and acid. The artist challenges the reflective aspect of the material and generates a new surface for herself by throwing acid on it. Seeing how the acid reacts, Azhar builds around those textures and maintains a balance between the imagery and its reflective nature. The act of destroying the surface of the steel also coincides with the struggles that the artist is facing.
Metamorphosis
The exhibition highlights the importance of mental wellness and how essential it is to pay attention to it. The flow of the drawings, the symbolism, and the patterns, the reflective self-portraits, the bold brush strokes, the undertone of different colours, and the aggressive acid reactions, everything comes together to present a concept that is difficult to put out for the world to see. Overall, the works provide the viewers with a feeling of warmth and serenity. It’s admirable to witness that the artist silently provides an element of encouragement to the audience to focus on their own mental health as much as possible.
Continuum
The show has been put together by Line Green, an initiative formed by Alina Akbar, who is a miniature artist herself. Being an artist, she feels the dire need to have such spaces where visual art has an opportunity to flourish and develop further. “It’s an extension of studio life, which shows the artist in their own intimate spaces and we strive to show that to the audience”, she states. It’s platforms like these that give complete liberty and respect to the artist while working. The studio has displayed Azhar’s large-scale initial drawings before her finished pieces, to give an idea to the viewer of what they are about to witness, along with a little souvenir postcard with a poem written by Khadijah Azhar.
(L to R) The artist, Khadijah Azhar, and the curator, Alina Akbar, at the gallery
Akbar aims to promote the same culture of creativity found in other historic and vibrant cities like Lahore and Karachi, as well as in the capital city of Islamabad. She refers to the studio as a visual arts space where the focal point is not one genre but rather all forms of art, be it sculpture, photography, print-making, music, installations and documentaries. As an artist, she understands the process and hard work that allows thoughts and concepts to culminate into tangible artworks.
A big shout-out to Alina Akbar for single-handedly laying the foundation for a new visual art space, as well as to Khadijah Azhar for bravely speaking out and transforming her experiences and creativity into thought-provoking imagery. It’s women like these who are taking up the challenge of breaking certain societal barriers, and coming out stronger on the other side.
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