By: Fawad Hasan
KARACHI: To add a spiritual, aesthetic sense to the colours of the holy month of Ramazan, Arts Council’s Fine Arts Committee has organised an open for all calligraphy exhibition. With the inception of the month, the artists’ community contributes with their artworks to cater to the spiritual needs of art-lovers.
The Exhibition has a nexus with Ramazan since pictorial art is now looked down upon and never gets enough room during the month. This is where the art of calligraphy of Quranic verses, Allah’s names, created with the help of variant mediums enters the scene.
There are around a hundred artworks put on display at the gallery of Arts Council Pakistan.
“Some of the artworks being exhibited here belong to renowned artists like Tariq Javeed, MA Bukhari along with new and young minds pouring in their masterpieces,” said Husna Naz, the gallery in charge.
The works have been done in various fashions and on several different mediums. From paintings made with oil on canvas, to etchings, knife-work on wood, fabric, glass and even computerised graphics.
What is garnering the most attention from visitors is the display of calligraphy on eggs by by Adeelud Deen. On eggs as precious and hard to find as of an ostrich and peacock, Adeel has done enchanting gold embroidery. The golden threads run on the egg, needled after making thousand of holes to make the inscription appear on the fragile surface. The work is breathtaking for the art-lovers and painstaking for the artist who has learnt this maverick art from his father.
Karen Armstrong in her books has said several times how necessary the feeling of transcendence is for mankind. We have been evolved with and inured to it. Such exhibitions which have a religious aspect to connect to the art pacify our souls and imbue men with spiritual feelings.
The large-sized knife-cutting masterpieces by MA Bukhari – that would never fail to inspire the onlooker – give one such flutter to experience inside the soul.
All in all, the gallery is presenting works by artists with different artistic leanings and varied skills. The show is a delight for anybody to visit prior to Iftar on any given day, except Sundays, between 9am to 4pm.
The exhibition will continue until July 25.