Curator’s Note My vision for “Pensive’ was of a collection of artwork that was so strong Something. Not necessarily something momentous or earthshaking, but definitely artwork about something that motivated the artist to create artwork of the highest standards both in its materiality and its meaning. We have all seen art that is gorgeous and technically brilliant, but so mindless and without any depth that we do no more then a glance at it and then glance aways. While doing a research about the artists for this show I have not designated those artist who have been doing and creating works from their experiences but I have chosen 12 immersive artists who have some unique persuasion and a brilliant aesthetic sense, with an amazing artistic approach. Their artwork not only tells an intirguing story, but also enlarged our definition about what an artwork might be. The participating artists naming Brishna Amin Khan, Erum Akhtar, Hafsa faryal Khan, Hira Zubair Ghakhar, M. Mohsin Shaikh , Muzna Mahmood, Nyla Talpur, Qurrat ul Ain, Salman Hunzai, Sara Akram, Shahid Malik and Shanzey Mir have discussed the convoluted triumphs and tragedies of our short lives as humans. Each of the artwork has brought us some knowledge , passion, maturity, confidence and a point of view. I have no doubt to say that their works will give a positive impact on society. I wish them all a good luck for their future endeavors and a big thanks to Ejaz Art Gallery ‘s whole management for providing the young talent an amazing oppurtunity with all the support.

Mahnoor Munir

Brishna Amin Khan

My work is about how as a society and as individual we have a desire for control but once we get that control, we miss use it so in order to depict that I’ve created images of how we control nature which is a metaphor for how we control each other as plants are as much part of this world as we are and are just as helpless from being molded, limited and manipulated against their will. This work depicts nature in all its glory thriving but is threatened by an external force causing the border to brake, if continued the habitat will disappear and emptiness will remain but if the borders are mended the environment will continue to sustain itself. the image is left at a climax for a choice to be made for thought and compassion to leave us or lead us. “Most sweet it is with unuplifted eyes To pace the ground, if path be there or none, While a fair region round the traveller lies Which he forbears again to look upon; Pleased rather with some soft ideal scene, The work of Fancy, or some happy tone Of meditation, slipping in between The beauty coming and the beauty gone. If Thought and Love desert us from that day, Let us break off all commerce with the Muse: With Thought and Love companions of our way, Whate’er the senses take or may refuse, The Mind’s internal heaven shall shed her dews Of inspiration on the humblest lay.”- -William Wordsworth 1835

Brishna Amin Khan | Gold paint, Gouache on Wasli | 14 x 17 | Code 01

If Thought and Love desert us for that day

Brishna Amin Khan | Gold paint, Gouache on Wasli | 15 x 15 | Code 02

Let us break off all commerce with the Muse

Brishna Amin Khan | Silver leaf, Gouache on Wasli | 9.5 x 9.5 | Code 03

The beauty coming and the beauty gone

"It is oddly weird how often we tend to conceal our human behavior. Temptation is one of those intriguing natures. My work revolves around various enticing activities in our surroundings. My vision is that majority of human beings tend to keep their temptations private rather than exposed. Whenever you're defied or restricted, you grow more impulsive just to see what was the harm so loudly spoken about. Generally, anything which comes with a warning that it shouldn't be done becomes too much tempting and urges to be tried."

Erum Akhtar

Erum Akhtar | Oil on Canvas | 48 x 48 | Code 04

Hanky-panky

Erum Akhtar | Oil on Canvas | 30 x 48 | Code 05

No Escape

Erum Akhtar | Oil on Canvas | 30 x 36 | Code 06

In My Head

In my work, I’ve played with the form of wasli and used it in a 3D technique giving this historic form of art a slight contemporary touch . Also, in these paintings, I’ve created an amalgam of different schools of miniature art. For me, minute details and micro elements in a things around me , be them works of art or anyother piece of my environment are of great value. Thus, my experiment with miniature paintings. Through my paintings, I want to convey to the viewer that the process, which is to great extent visible in my work , is as important as the end product. The efforts in terms of labour, materials and money are as important as the end product. These efforts are an important part of creating an art work and can’t rather , shouldn’t be overlooked .

Hafsa Faryal Khan Kayni

Hafsa Faryal Khan Kayni | Gouache on Wasli | 19 x 25 | Code 07

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Hafsa Faryal Khan Kayni | medium| 9.5 x 7.5 | Code 08

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Hafsa Faryal Khan Kayni | Gouache on Wasli| 40 x 40 Round | Code 09

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HiraZubair

TheSpiritualjourney''Sustainingthesoilmeditatesandfocusesonyourroots.Thestrengthofspiritualityinvolvesourcapacitytodigdeepandfindthegreatermeaningsinlife,toalignourselveswithapurposethatextendsbeyondustofindunitywithintheuniverse.''

Hira Zubair | Washes, Gouache on Wasli| 20 x 26 | Code 10

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Hira Zubair | 3d Depth, Gold, Gouache on Wasli| 20 x 26 | Code 11

Reflection

It’s a concept I encountered during the very hard days of my learning and a time that I shall be grateful to, forever. Some places I have been, some sorrows I have seen, but I won’t regret nor will I forget all who took that road with me. Nothing is true, depicting the very usual behaviour of human being i.e. we believe what we see and despise what we don't understand. It has always been about choice; what we all chose to believe and understand. I think that everything has an expression, even the animals who have been massacred in the name of god/gods, birds we hunt and think they are expressionless, creatures we don't understand and never will unless we intend to. Criticizing is easy and understanding is rare. Truth is common logic is rare. You see chalk but it is not, charcoal is ‘not what you think it is, you see dust but actually is paint, hard is soft and understanding is rare. As I've observed that nothing is true in this world because everything is already true to our most betraying eyes, truth is common logic is rare. I felt that I can deceive people in a most obvious way the way people normally believe what they see. Chalkboards has been one of my most important executions because I believe that all this life is a huge chalkboard where we all express ourselves in a way that can be overwritten and erased easily. One has to be an architect of his/her own life than to be tamed by people who will always love to see their message being conveyed further more. During my research for this work of art, I came across a lot of pompous speeches from the very well learned persona but with their ossified beliefs I experienced that they have their own truth but not an absolute opinion, one way or the other we all love to see ourselves being accepted and abhor what we can't understand; has been depicted in my paintings. All chalkboards depict the practical experience of my life and how I managed to keep all these thoughts on rest until my work is being executed. Following heart, exploring the truth when there is not any except for the true feeling of heart which I believe is the ultimate truth. When I see everyone speaking the truth, not a single person telling a lie then indeed there is no lie and when there is no lie, all is lie.

M. Mohsin Shaikh

M. Mohsin Shaikh | Oil on Canvas| 102 x 39 | Code : 12

Untitled

Do we know them? Do we know ourselves? I have always been intrigued by the idea of multilayered circumstances as human behaviors, inner intentions, personalities and objects. Everybody is drifting towards obtaining dexterity and the art of masking layers upon layers in order to protect the feeble and delicate self underneath just like the layer of cuticle on the surface of a leaf. Are we afraid of evaporation of fragile petals disguised in layers? However, the fear of revelation keeps on building more and more. While burying under the myriads of layers individuality is dying and this makes me wonder how many layers can be taken off to attain unity. World as a whole is transitory just like how are bodies are transitory. What are we today? What are we going to be tomorrow? I draw inspiration from these questions arising in my mind and my day to day communication. I discover my visual while constructing and de-constructing layers ultimately creating cryptic narratives- which perhaps say more about who is reading them and how.

Muzna Mahmood

Muzna Mahmood | Gouache on Wasli | 10.5 x 10.5 | Code 13

I

Muzna Mahmood | Gouache on Wasli | 10.5 x 10.5 | Code 14

II

Muzna Mahmood | Gouache on Wasli | 9 x 10.5 | Code 15

Safety Pin

My works are mostly a combination of two contrasting themes, where the visual and the concerns being addressed are in contrast with each other. While the visuals are inspired from textile wallpapers, popular culture and floral patterns , the concerns being addressed are more of a socio-political nature ,such as social inequality and power tussle or related to human issues. The fusion results into works which seem to be floral and tropical from a distance, but when looked closely there is more to it  The recent body of work results from my personal experience of trying to constantly create a work-life balance while frequently moving within three different cities.

Nyla Talpur

Nyla Talpur| Gouache on Wasli| 13.5 x 10 | Code 16

Untitled

Nyla Talpur| Gouache on Wasli| 18 x 8 | Code 17

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Pattern of an infinite journey The Pattern of an Infinite Journey focuses on the journey of a human being. All the ups and downs, heydays and rock-bottoms, physical or mental, are a part of our journeys in life as sentient beings. Every experience in life, be it good or bad, leaves a mark and forms an intangible pattern that constantly stays in motion throughout our lives. This very concept has been depicted through continuous line work that shows the infinity of the life journey of a human being that carries on even in the afterlife. This work symbolically, shows the inner workings of life as an endless journey.

Qurrat ul Ain

Qurrat ul Ain| Collagraph Print| 27 x 35 | Code 18

We

Qurrat ul Ain| Collagraph Print| 27 x 35 | Code 19

Infusion

Salman Hunzai

Dan —e — Jee (My stone being) Growing up in the dry mountains of Hunza, the empowering giants have had a strong impact on me and my work. Stone has long had symbolic meaning throughout the lingual history particularly in Burushaski language. The work is titled after the phrase used in Burushaski language Dan-e- Jee which refers to the beings who are surviving continuous encounters with adversities in life and became resilient to them. Arguing the fact that these encounters on regular bases throughout your life make you stronger and a time comes when you feel comfortably numb. Disappointment kisses the surface of your being without being able to penetrate inside you due to the formation of outer coating which gets firmer with passing time and regular encounters with hardships and difficulties in life. My new series symbolizes these beings of stone, who are feeling less and dead in the eyes of world, yet on the other hand the signs of life depicts life prevails inside them.

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Salman Hunzai| Gouache on Arches Paper | 13.5 x 18.5 | Code 20

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Salman Hunzai| Gouache on Arches Paper | 13.5 x 18.5 | Code 21

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Salman Hunzai| Gouache on Arches Paper | 13.5 x 18.5 | Code 22

As an artist, it is always being my desire that every piece of art I create should portray the qualities that enlighten, deepen and ultimately depict enrich humanity. I am working on the topic of depression that along with anxiety generally exhibits the feeling of guilt, loss of pleasure, and low self-esteem into someone. My BFA thesis work is based on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In this type of depression, a person goes through some traumatic event such as natural disaster, car accident, or harassment; that threatens his/her safety and insist the feeling of prevailing helplessness. In my paintings, I have portrayed the story of a conventional girl who suffered from PTSD due to some childhood memories. I have shown some realistic figures in presence of “rusty leaves” to depict the society that bounds you to breath properly. I have used vulture as a symbol to represent scavenging people of society to whom the meaning of right and wrong is never clear.

Sara Akram

Sara Akram | Mix media on Canvas| 36 x 60 | Code 23

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Sara Akram | Mix media on Canvas| 48 x 48 | Code 24

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Sara Akram | Mix media on Canvas| 36 x 72 | Code 25

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Industrial revolution is considered as transition to new manufacturing process in Europe between the period 1760 to 1820. This revolution changed the destiny of many nations and brought prosperity to the masses. However I would call this prosperity a vector which was carrying the issues that we are facing today i.e. trash. One of the most harmful constituent is the polythene whose half life is about 1000 years. Today we can see the huge mounds of trash forming a new type of landscape within the existing natural landscape and these new type of landscapes exist for centuries due to the presence of polythene. One of such sites is "Mehmood Booti" a famous landfill zone in Lahore, Pakistan. The height of this huge mound is approximately 100ft. It looks like a hill from a certain distance although the land of Lahore is 100% flat. On my first encounter with it I was really fascinated by the diversity of material on this site. Every type of material from every class of society can be observed here. In other words this is the single site which represents every individual of this area because every individual has contribution in it regardless of the amount. Today when we are about to enter a city our first encounter is with these trash zones. They can also be called the modern cities inside which there are some settlements of the individuals. These are the external crust inside which the internal city is encapsulated. This diversity of material, color palette, a new form of landscape and cityscape intrigued me to paint it. According to me I feel it like a still life within a landscape or a landscape made up of still life. 

Shahid Malik

Shahid Malik | Gouache on wasli paper| 7 x 5.5 inches | Code 26

Unspoken words penetrate the deepest silences

Shahid Malik | Charcoal on paper | 24 x 34 Inches | Code 27

Everything you can imagine is real

Shahid Malik | Goache on wasli paper| 13 x 10 Inches | Code 28

Depth must be hidden on surface

A narration of love, agony, loss and pleasure. The series captures the intensity of a resurrected voice, rising out of the ashes, and sing about somber tale in a satirical tune. The work revolves around the concept of the ghastly plight of women in a patriarchal society . The voice belongs to a woman, dehumanized throughout several stages of her life by societal conventions. Reduced to a stereotype in her youth, dealt away as a trophy wife to an applicant and deprived of agency in a patriarchally - powered marriage. Only death allows a resurrection to pass, a return to power like a phoenix, and a retaking of the narrative from the mouths of the bystanders . Death is an art, a performance, suggesting that everyone is complicit in this passive voyeurism.

Shanzey Mir

Shanzey Mir | Oil on Canvas, embellished with real pearls, emeralds and rubies| 30 x 24 Code 29

The Applicant

Shanzey Mir | Oil on Canvas, embellished with pearls and semi precious stones| 18 x 24 Code 30

'I do' (diptych)

Shanzey Mir | Oil on Canvas, embellished with real pearls, emeralds and rubies| 48 x 36 Code 31

Lady Lazarus

Designed and compiled Amir Shah