One for the Birds

23 December, 2014

Muhammad Zeeshan Gandhara-art Space Karachi Currently we are living in a time of great polarity: the political and corporate establishments world-wide are exploiting the minor differences within populations that have long lived intermixed and peacefully. Because of these minute differences in worship and culture being exasperated, humanity is embroiled in ideological and physical battles. Zeeshan’s work shows the similarities that are more apparent and less important than the so-called differences. Honouring historical and metaphysical figures from Hinduism, mysticism and Islam, the characters of ‘One for the Birds’ celebrate the Subcontinent’s cultural diversity. Extending well beyond geography, transcending time and religious boundaries, the commonality shared by each of the characters of ‘One For the Birds namely: Lal, Zuljina, AlamDaar, Mohabat ka Khudda and Ganymede” are their timeless association with justice and fairness.

Publication Launch of Stranger than Fiction

19 December, 2014

In conjunction with the show ‘Stranger than Fiction”, Gandhara launched a catalogue to compliment Adeel Uz Zafar’s work. The catalogue has essays written by Nifsa Rizvi, Susan Acret, Zarmeene Shah and a foreword by Amna Tirmizi Naqvi. The Artist Talk & Panel Discussion included the artist Adeel Uz Zafar and writers Nafisa Rizvi & Zarmeene Shah. Discussion was moderated by Amna Tirmizi Naqvi.

Stranger than Fiction

21 October, 2014

Adeel uz Zafar

Gandhara-art Space Karachi

Stranger than fiction features a selection of seminal anthropomorphic characters known around the world for their incredible feats and heroic actions. The imagined content is not necessarily based on facts, but it contemplates and interrogates society, politics, philosophy, life and adventure. It highlights the hopes, frustrations, dreams and disclosure from some of the living experiences of everyday life.Â

Gandhara-art 2014

15 May, 2014

Gandhara-art 2014

Adeel Uz Zafar, Aisha Khalid, Khadim Ali, Imran Qureshi, Noor Ali Chagani & Sher Ali

With half of the participating galleries coming from Asia and Asia-Pacific, Art Basel in Hong Kong assumes a significant role in the international artworld, providing a portal to the region's artists. The new show gives galleries from around the world a platform in Asia to demonstrate the way they work with artists, and bring their highest quality work to Hong Kong. From emerging talents to the Modern masters of both Asia and the West, Art Basel in Hong Kong traces twelve decades of art history across its six sectors: Galleries, Insights, Discoveries, Encounters, Magazines and Film. On display will be the highest quality of paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, video and editioned works from the 20th and 21st centuries, by more than 2,000 artists from Asia and around the globe.Â

The show will also offer extensive opportunities for intellectual discovery, through discussions and presentations, creating a platform of cross-cultural exchanges for artists, gallerists, collectors, and visitors.

Gandhara will be presenting artworks be Adeel Uz Zafar, Aisha Khalid, Khadim Ali, Imran Qureshi, Noor Ali Chagani & Sher Ali.

 

Let'sTake It Outside

10 April, 2014

Gandhara Art presents
‘Let’s Take It Outside’
 
Ahsan Jamal, Imrana Tanveer, Nashmia Haroon &
Noor Ali Chagani
 
Using the popular phrase ‘Let's Take It Outside' which commonly translates to taking the disagreement or the fight elsewhere, this exhibition plays on the notion of moving the narrative or the dialogue away from its present condition. Thus, moving it away from the corridors of power and drawing rooms, to a place where it is more relevant and unhindered. It challenges the notion of exclusivity and seeks to provide a voice to those whose opinions are have historically been tolerated but ignored like a mild irritant. The question to put forward would be, who might those be. The public at large.
The work of all four artists, Ahsan Jamal's quiet portraits and still landscapes, Imrana Tanveer's tongue in check commentary on the realm of power, Noor Ali Chagani's exposed brickwork and Nashmia Haroon's scaffolding all call for pushing the narrative to its rightful place - Outside
 
Preview  5-8 pm on Thursday, April 10, 2014
Exhibition  12 -7 pm April 10-July 5, 2014
F-65/2, Kehkashan 4, Clifton, Karachi
+923332284918

 

Midnight Garden by Imran Qureshi

15 February, 2014

For this exhibition Imran Qureshi has created eight miniature landscapes. In a sense his work moves away from the abstraction of his larger works towards the formalism of the miniature. His other landscape miniatures, such as those shown in Berlin last year were his abstractive imagery creeping into the formalism of the miniature, a depiction of his large scale installations. In these landscapes the blood motif is increasingly formal and classical. The abstractive marks are not a stranger to the landscape but have moved into and become an actual part of the landscape with the blood red foliate forms. These works are more strongly connected to the miniature and therefore the narrative element is observed with clarity, it is almost like coming home or visiting the source of the tradition. In some of the works the ferocious blood splatter motifs disappear and only the landscapes remain, but there is something that is disturbing and threatening about these. There is violence which is not overt but covert and leaves one with a sense of greater unease.

When I am Silent by Aisha Khalid

15 February, 2014

For this exhibition Aisha Khalid has expanded on the theme of her earlier works, which dealt with concepts of spirituality and the divine. Khalid will be showing a series of six paintings in this show. Earlier the ‘Burqa’ or the ‘Veil’ in her work symbolised the curtain which conceals the divine and the invisible. Though in certain works, the veiled figure had also stood for the self. These veils had gaps or slits, which were like glimpses into the invisible. In this series she gone a step further and has physically divided the works. These works are cut and slashed and appear like an exercise to negate the self or the ego. The tulip which had emerged in her work at the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam has matured, and still stands tall but is prepared to temper the self.

to define is to limit

17 October, 2013

Saira Wasim received her Bachelors in Fine Art from the National College of Arts. Teeming with figures captured in mid-action, paintings by Saira Wasim present grand narratives. If it weren’t for their petite size and two-dimensionality, they might be mistaken for Greek mythology, Baroque opera, epic film, or other monumental genres. Like the protagonists of such grand genres, Wasim’s characters gesticulate, prance, shoot, and fly in majestic style. They laugh and boast in hideous fashion, and morph into grotesque hybrid creatures that hint at transcendent themes of good and evil. Wasim’s work has been exhibited at The Asian Art Museum San Francisco, Contemporary Arts Centre Cincinnati, Asia Society Museum New York and Harris Museum & Art Gallery, UK.

Haunted Lotus

07 October, 2013

Khadim Ali received his Bachelor of Fine Art and trained in the art of contemporary miniature painting at the prestigious National College of Art in Lahore, Pakistan, in mural painting and calligraphy at Tehran University, Iran, and has just completed his Master of Fine Art from University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia. Ali is inspired by his rich cultural heritage and uses traditional artistic techniques to convey the complex history of South Asia. The figures in his work are fantastical and monumental either angels or demons. His work has been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum NYC, The British Museum London, Hara Museum, Tokyo, The Venice Biennale and at Documeta 13.

Are You in Character?

22 August, 2013

Four young artists Adeel Uz Zafar, Cyra Ali, Muzamil Ruheel & Sara Khan presenting their works at 'Are You in Character?' exhibition at Gandhara Art Space in Karachi.

Gandhara-art 2013

23 May, 2013

Welcome to the newest Art Basel show. With half of the participating galleries coming from Asia and Asia-Pacific, Art Basel in Hong Kong assumes a significant role in the international art world, providing a portal to the region's artists. The new show gives galleries from around the world a platform in Asia to demonstrate the way they work with artists, and bring their highest quality work to Hong Kong.

 

Gandhara will be showcasing the works of Aisha Khalid, Adeel Zafar, Atif Khan, Khadim Ali & Imran Qureshi.

Picasso in Pakistan

24 December, 2012

“Abstract art is only painting. And what’s so dramatic about that? There is no abstract art. One must always begin with something. Afterwards one can remove all semblance of reality; there is no longer any danger as the idea of the object has left an indelible imprint. It is the object which aroused the artist, stimulated his ideas and set of his emotions. These ideas and emotions will be imprisoned in his work for good... Whether he wants it or not, man is the instrument of nature; she imposes on him character and appearance. In my paintings of Dinard, as in my paintings of Purville, I have given expression to more or less the same vision... You cannot go against nature. She is stronger than the strongest of men. We can permit ourselves some liberties, but in details only.” – Pablo Picasso

Boisgeloup, Winter 1934, Quoted in Letters of the great artists – from Blake to Pollock -, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, pp. 256-257 (translation Daphne Woodward)

Let's Not Talk About Politics

31 May, 2012

Pakistan is a country rife with conversation. It is both the warp and the weft of the fabric of this particular society, and therefore passionate discourse about politics is inevitable. It permeates our consciousness from television talk shows to heated discussions in sitting rooms, offices or over a cup of tea or coffee. Pakistani contemporary art celebrates this conversation and there is much discourse and a great deal of imagery related to the subject in art being created. Though we are passionate about our politics, this show aims to be apolitical. The works exhibited in this show, are those that arose from the social consciousness, the subconscious and deeply personal narratives of the featured artists. Of course if one really tries hard then one might discover something political in each of these works but we would urge you “Let's Not Talk About Politics".

Gandhara-art @ Art HK12

17 May, 2012

Aisha Khalid and Imran Qureshi are the pioneers of the Neo Contemporary Miniature Art Movement which emerged from Pakistan in the 1990s. Both are graduates of the National College of Arts, in Lahore Pakistan. Since then Khalid and Qureshi have shown their works in numerous international galleries, biennials, museums, and art fairs.

Qureshi is the recipient of the Sharjah Biennial 2011 Jury Prize for his site specific installation 'Blessings upon the Land of My Love' and his work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennial, MOMA Oxford, Asia Society Museum New York and the Singapore Biennial amongst others. Qureshi lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan, where he teaches at the National College of Arts, Lahore.

Khalid has just been short listed for the Victoria & Albert Museum's Jameel Prize and her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennial, the Whitney Biennial, the Belvedere Museum, Vienna and a mid career retrospective at the Pump House Gallery in London. Khalid lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan.

Khadim Ali received his BFA in miniature painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore in 2003. Ali draws on imagery from sources including the Shahnamah-The Persian Book of Kings and the Bamiyan Buddhas as his inspiration as he is originally from Bamiyan. Ali’s work was included in the Asia Pacific Triennial, 2006 and is currently being exhibited at Gemak, Gementee Museum, Netherlands. He has recently completed residencies at the Fukuoka Museum of Asian Art, Japan and the Queensland Art Gallery in Australia and now is preparing to participate in Documenta(13), 2012 in Kassel, Germany. Khadim lives and works in Sydney, Australia.

Atif Khan, (born 1972, Pakistan), graduated (with distinction) in 1997 in Fine Art from the National College of Arts in Lahore and in 1998 was awarded the UNESCO-ASHBURG Bursary, completing a residency at Darat-al-Funun in Amman, Jordan. He received Commonwealth Arts & Crafts Award in 2007. He was also appointed artist in residence at the Swansea Print Workshop in Wales, London Print Studio in England and Glasgow Print Studio in Scotland, during the years 2005 to 2008. He has participated in art workshops in India, Bangladesh and Jordan. He has exhibited throughout Pakistan, India, USA, UK, Australia, Dubai, Jordan, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 2012, he is participating at ‘India Art Fair’ in New Delhi and ‘Art HK 12’ in Hongkong. Alongside his artistic practice, Khan is the faculty member at the NCA in Lahore, Pakistan.

Rashid Rana - Translation/Transliterations

21 October, 2011

Gandhara-art Hong Kong in collaboration with Lisson Gallery London, presents Rashid Rana’s public solo exhibition ‘Translation/Transliteration at Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Art Centre, Hong Kong. Rashid Rana is widely considered to be one of the most prominent and original contemporary artists working in South Asia today.This exhibition will be composed of selected works from 2004 to the present, divided into four distinct narratives. Works will include Rana’s photo sculptures, large scale photo mosaics, and new works from the Translation/Transliterations series.

Rashid Rana was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1968, and after his Bachelors in Fine Art from The National College of Arts, Lahore in 1992, he acquired a Masters in Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston in 1994.Rana’s most significant body of works is widely acknowledged to be his photographic mosaic pieces, with their powerful narratives of duality and contradiction.

Rana’s work has been shown in biennials, museums and galleries around the world, including Lisson Gallery, London (2011) The Musée Guimet, Paris (2010), Asia Society Museum, New York (2009), National Museum of Taiwan (2009), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2010), Satchi Gallery, London (2010) and the Singapore Art Museum (2011).

 

Gandhara-art @ ArtHK11

25 May, 2011 Aisha Khalid and Imran Qureshi are the pioneers of the Neo Contemporary Miniature Art Movement which emerged from Pakistan in the 1990s. Both are graduates of the National College Of Arts, in Lahore Pakistan. Since then Khalid and Qureshi have shown their works in numerous international galleries, biennials, museums, and art fairs. Qureshi is the recipient of the Sharjah Biennial 2011 Jury Prize for his site specific installation 'Blessings Upon the Land of My Love' and his work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennial, MOMA Oxford, Asia Society Museum New York and the Singapore Biennial amongst others. Khalid has just been short listed for the Victoria & Albert Museum's Jameel Prize and her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennial, the Whitney Biennial, the Belvedere Museum, Vienna and a mid career retrospective at the Pump House Gallery in London. Both the artists will be showing large scale miniatures, and Khalid will also be showing a sculptural installation.