Pakistani Art Masters to Make Cultural Statement at Local Gallery

Five eminent artists to demonstrate interpretations of Pakistani heritage at Art Attack Gallery, Jumeirah

Art Attack Gallery in collaboration with Native Art Gallery, Lahore is set to exhibit an eclectic range of traditional and interpretive works from some of Pakistan’s most eminent and leading artists from 19th to the 28th of April, 2008 in a bid to highlight Pakistan’s cultural beauty.

The works of AQ Arif, Tariq Javed, Hajra Mansoor, Mansoor Rahi and Mashkoor Raza will be on show for ten days at the Jumeirah based gallery. The exhibition, entitled ‘Moods of Art’ will aim to capture the inspirations and fancies of each artist’s imagination across their colourful careers as avant garde or figurative composers, with the commonality of revolving around the raw or idyllic beauty of the country.

The curator of the show, Asma Nabeel, thought it was important to catalogue an important aspect of the national imagination. ‘At a time of great vicissitude in the nation’s political history, it is important that we recognise the many different degrees of style and subject matter within our own contemporary art and culture. In a sense, we must highlight our cultural evolution. The art on display at Art Attack will reflect works from a 30 year span from some of Pakistan’s best known artists, and as such, this showing is important, especially at a time like this,’ she expressed.

The spectrum of paintings on display at Art Attack will showcase the cultural side of an otherwise politically charged nation through the eyes of some of the most creative figures in contemporary and modern Pakistani art. From Raza to Javed and AQ Arif and Mansoor, each painter’s style is unique and reflects a thought provoking individual perspective. Across the range of works, the visiting artists have drawn from a variety of influences such as landscapes and village girls or dancers, polo riders or the country’s architectural grandeur. Each artist’s rendering of everyday scenes, people or vistas is indelibly Pakistani.

Art Attack Gallery owner, Qais Saeed Al Falasi is pleased to be showing the paintings of such esteemed artists in Dubai. ‘Pakistani art is enjoying a wonderful renaissance of sorts and it gives me great pleasure to be hosting an exhibition of some of the country’s most sublime painters,’ he enthused. ‘The common thread in all the paintings is that they show so many different and well loved concepts of Pakistani heritage and splendour. And the styles too run from almost simplistic to modern and experimental. Anyone in Dubai who appreciates Pakistani art is certainly in for a treat,’ he exclaimed.

‘Moods of Art’ will also be graced by the artists themselves. Attending the ten day long event, each artist will be present on site to discuss and explain their different art expressions. ‘We are very lucky to have every artist on display, to actually be attending the event. We think it is important for art lovers who visit the show to be able to interact with the creators of the works and get a deeper insight into what drives these people,’ explains Mr Saeed.

The Pakistani art market is enjoying a flourish of demand across different generations of artists. With several Pakistani art works achieving world record prices at auction houses like Bonhams and Christie’s last year, a range of younger and more affordable artists are joining the well known masters of Pakistani art in galleries and exhibition spaces across the country.

‘A swathe of new art collectors and first-time buyers are emerging because of the remarkable surge in international and local interest for Pakistani art, old and new. [These] artists are not only being curated more often at local exhibitions and for auctions as well, they are making themselves known through more and more exhibitions with lesser-known galleries and not-for-profit institutions. As a result, we’ve seen contemporary Pakistani art being opened up to a wider audience and it’s wonderful to see that people obviously like what they see,’ says Ms. Nabeel.

The works at ‘Moods of Art’ will aim to be an example of contrasts and similarities between the visiting artists as well as a record of the cultural and artistic evolution of Pakistani heritage and everyday life.

Venue: Art Attack Gallery, between Al Wasl and Beach Road, Jumeirah
Date: April 19th– 28th 2008
Timings: 7.30pm-10.30pm