Written by: Jovita Alvares
Posted on: October 25, 2018 | 
| 中文
Gold Raindrop I by Zahrah Ehsan
The latest opening at Canvas Gallery presented the works of two Pakistan-born, National College of Art alums. Both recent MFA graduates, Sanie Bokhari and Zahrah Ehsan displayed a fresh body of work in their two-person show titled, ‘Un-thinking.’ As the name suggests, the art emerged through a process of digressing away from social and personal limitations, and thereby finding new means of coping and understanding them. With both artists delving into two-dimensionality, the paintings explored abstract and figurative visuals, through which certain ideas were brought forth.
Sanie Bokhari’s recent departure from her homeland, Pakistan, to study abroad made her aware of the patriarchal structure of our society, and as a result, the fairly alien idea of female agency. She describes her journey as one where she ‘chose to leave home at an age when women are expected to create one,’ which refers to the large populations of Pakistani women that sometimes opt for (and at other times are forced into) marrying and starting families at an early age. Her painting ‘Red Room,’ therefore, seems to become representative of a South Asian wedding, where the bride is usually seen wearing a red dress. However, ‘Red Room’ like its neighbouring work ‘Oceans Away,’ may also portray past lives. The overlapping line-work, as well as the layering of translucent paint, captures the artist in a moment of remembering, editing and then re-drawing, in an attempt to bring forth an exact likeness to memory. This is further re-iterated in the contrast created between the solid and ghostly forms painted on each canvas. Take, for example, the bed in ‘Red Room’ and its realistic form, perspective and colour, which is distinct from the figures that are mere outlines with their painted insides leaking out, unfinished and hazy. They also seem to be in motion, as the silhouettes are repeated and overlapped, almost as if the artist can remember the emotion of the situation and is trying to relive it, by capturing it on canvas.
Bokhari also distorts the perspective of her figures, making them tower over the audience as a way of describing the overpowering effects of patriarchy on our lives. The drawings too, reference events at local weddings, such as the dedicated dances by family members for the newlyweds. In contrast, Zahrah Ehsan’s works are an abstract but exciting mess of colour and text. Dealing with suppressed and personal difficulties, Ehsan uses her art as a sigh of relief. Her unique style allows the audience to peek into the mind of the artist and catch a glimpse of her struggle. From an initial walkthrough, the paintings could easily be mistaken for random wall graffiti, where several taggers have just painted over each other. However, the more one stands in front of piece, the more one can feel what is happening beneath the surface. The overlaid text and paint portray struggle and uncertainty. There is possible fear and a need to cover up some things on canvas, while at the same time there is a venting out onto the surface, as if it was the only one willing to listen. Ehsan uses this messy style to then understand her surroundings, such as in her works ‘Monsoon of 2018’ and ‘Bringing Paradise to Home?’
The show embodied means to un-think; to not merely forget the past but instead to re-evaluate what was once perceived as the reality. Time away from an underlying issue allows one to view it with a degree of objectivity, which is something these artists were able to do through their respective Masters programs. The show carries on till November 1st, 2018.
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