This document contains short biographies from several artists included in an exhibition at the Alliance Française de Karachi from December 4th to 24th, 2014. The biographies describe each artist's background and influences, and explain the concepts and techniques used in their works. The artists cover a range of mediums including painting, video, sculpture, and mixed media. Their works draw inspiration from sources such as Sufi philosophy, mythology, literature, and observations of society.

1. “SHOWDOWN
EPREUVE DE FORCE”
GALLERY ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE KARACHI
4TH TO 24TH DEC’14
CURATOR:MEHREEN HASHMI

2. My entire life could be
spent spewing out
these creatures and
realms inspired by the
likes of Sadequain,
Blake, Prehistoric
fauna, mythology,
comic books and
clinical psychology. I
fancy myself as a
primordial world of
myths and legends
that were being
crafted by my
subconscious. This is
how I deal with sorrow
and fear, to create
these archetypal
characters that exist as
a psychological
testament to the
power and healing of
myths.
ZAIN ASHIR
KARACHI

3. MEHBOB JOKHIO
MAHRUBPUR
Having a literary family
background, my art
making practice is often
informed by literary
themes. I am a poet and
short story writer, but
divides most of my
creative practice in visual
art making. In my recent
body of work, I trace back
to the reference from
history and religious
beliefs, working with the
found material be it a
video, an animation, an
or a literary piece, I work
with the idea of how
print/digital media
information gets changed
and re/mis-interpreted
en-route to the receiver.
Unloading the loaded
imagery and retains the
visual pleasure revealing
tons of narratives and a
dialogue among the
viewer, work and myself.

4. My work is an observation of things
happening around me. It is based on
my interpretation of how time has
passed by me during a wait. In awe
of the inevitability of disintegration,
I question the transience of beauty,
vanity, self and all that is material.
Incorporating different materials
within the traditional construct of
life, I introduce the viewer to what
appears to be a repeating, cyclical
routine. The more one realizes the
extent of the repetition, the more
horrifying their predicament seems.
Inspired by classic and
contemporary Structural films and
videos, my work incorporates audio
and video footage of my
surroundings that have been
collected over a period of time This
has allowed to me to create a
personal documentation of my
impatience and helplessness during
a period of waiting, thereby staging
eternity in real-time. The mediums
that I deliberately choose to work
with – predominantly videos and
photographs – capture moments in
time. It is through these mediums
that I can better stage the
relationship between time and the
material.
ASMA ANSARI
KARACHI

5. My paintings are on Sufi thoughts…how to
develop your relation with Real Truth. It is a
self searching and self transforming progress
towards Real, one should think about what
is not visible or what is visible is revelation
towards Unknown…attain understanding
between inner and outer world intuition and
meditation. I gave form to intangible
thoughts, thoughts which solve questions
and strengthen the power of understanding.
My idea is to make a work which stimulates
thinking. My painting speaks about subject
matter, conceived through knowledge and
intuition and is based on the concept of
being and knowing. In these colorful oil
paintings, I used the shadow of an object or
different objects at different time of sunlight.
The forms are simple and expressive and
their movements show the idea behind. They
represented the idea of reflection. My source
of inspirations is what are the entities to
which I am not conscious or what are things I
wanted to know about? Feeling the
transcending aspect of material, is the way I
can achieve to know myself spiritually. It is
step by step process each achievement is my
own individual experience through which I
grow myself and associate myself with the
world.
ANIQA FATIMA
KARACHI

6. My series of video work
and canvas focuses on the
female body and its
relationship to different
elements and everyday
objects within various
spaces and environments.
On a daily basis I found
myself overwhelmingly
confronted with images
and prescriptions for
"being beautiful." I
decided to address the
illusions and the realities
that exist for women faced
with this fact of
contemporary culture.
In the videos, the aim is to
experiment till the point
where the transformation
and shape of the body
merge with the objects
and elements until it is
changed into a sculpture
when affected.
NIDA RAMZAN
FAISALABAD

7. As an artist I work with the
female body, documenting
the transformational
aspects of domesticated
women, which are
translated as disoriented
figurative forms and
puppetry sculptures. This
decoding of the conscious
understanding of women’s
entities makes me look
through the binoculars of
self-awareness, aiming to
instigate the audience to
reflect upon their true
selves when confronted
with my artwork.
HAMIDA KHATRI
KARACHI

8. SEHAR SHAH RIZVI
KARACHI
My environment and surroundings
motivates my work. In my work, I was
inspired by the beauty of Hair. Hair -
human or animal - represents the
female in my work. For me, everything
seems perfect in its place but once we
change its position or context, the
entire idea is changed. We are used to
watching hair in our routine life but if
we change their placement, the entire
meaning will change. Many writers,
poets and artists have done their work
on hair. My interpretation of hair, in
this body of work comes from
composing it with different things,
creating multiple meanings from it.
Everyone has their own way of
thinking and generating ideas. I want
everyone to understand and respond
to my work according to their ideas
and views. When we compose two
apparently unrelated things with each
other they create more meanings.
Through my work I want to make
people think how paintings and visual
language influence different people
according to their life experiences,
belief systems and educational
background.

9. Every single
person carries
his or her own
world inside,
beyond this
physical world of
matter.
Whenever I sit
alone, I draw my
own world full of
mysteries and
myths. What I
think and what I
see is directly
related to my
world and visual
language
supports me to
express my views
and thoughts.
ANAM SHAKIL
KARACHI

10. ASAD GULZAR
HYDERABAD
Prior to produce/construct art
work I often become conscious
about material, specially the stuff
which directs us to traditional art
medium.
Art work..........it’s not an easy/ a
schedule/ to do list job, before to
initiate have to think a lot, “What
do have to paint”, to splotch the
message to the viewer wits, never
let him go to next art work by
asking him/ herself, “what does it
mean?”, him/ her must have to
consider why the artist decide to
go for the selected item/s, is it any
particular intention when choosing
them.
Because the artwork usually goes
much deeper than just portray
attractive objects, even if a piece is
supposedly meaningless, there is
always fundamental thought route
behind the work. It’s important to
examine the art work with
humorously and an investigative
eyes. Similarly through my art work
I challenged the medium and used
unusual surface. I found that junk
material is most suitable for this
purpose. So, I choose junk material
and played with it in a particular
way which created interesting and
appealing visuals.

11. FOZIA SOLANGI
HYDERABAD
Vibrant colors and Square pieces of rally
I feel absorbed inside me. Threads
stitched in rally create an unusual vision
that compels me to do something with
this superb craft of Sind. I don’t
consider it as only a craft it’s a creativity
in which inner most emotions of a
worker are sewed with cloth. A line of
sewed thread is like a continuation of
life and infinity of wishes. Different
colors which village women use, some
time create a juxtaposed illusion. In my
work I have merged logos and different
signs of TV channels and social media
with traditional rally to show the
influences which are directly affecting
our society. I see rally as a story in
which colors and patterns are main
characters connected to each other
with threads. Every color and a pattern
altogether play its role to make a
complete art. I have tried to express the
hard work and deep emotions which
rise in the women working on rally. In
one of my painting I have shown hunger
and poverty by painting a meal
overlapping squares of rally. A rally is
also like different moods and nature of
daily life which I have expressed in my
paintings with different compositions
painted mostly in Gad rung on Wasli.

12. My work is narrative to
the summary of life and
its destruction. With
the increase of
jealousy, greed and
selfishness to accept
other's happiness &
growth, the use of
Black magic has
become the most
common way to take
out one's cruelty and
get an evil kind of
satisfaction from the
turmoil of others. My
work shows the mental
and physical condition
of a sufferer. The
condition of sufferings
and miseries of victim
is revolving around the
lines. These can
indicate the viewer to
find unseen messages.
SABOORA SHAFIQ
GUJRAT

13. SIDRA KHALID
LAHORE
My work explores the visual
possibilities as I do not deliberately
create concepts. Using a mix of
traditional techniques and more
unconventional painting methods I
constantly search for the right
combination between different
media; Objectivity and subjectivity
confront each other and interact.
Using elaborate style and intricate
details as it gives shape to the
subjects. I want to establish a
dialogue between the subject and
myself and then the viewer and
myself by telling the visual
experiences. Having a mind being
affected by the set minds and rules
of where I live and work the
manner is being very indirect and
simple but suggestive in
ambiguous way harmonized
between figuration and abstraction
that express the underlying
tensions of society facing both
freedom and crisis.
A sense of intimacy and isolation is
generated while leaving the
subject open to interpretation.
However, my attitude is
questioning and approach is to
record and comment on things
that are more than visually
apparent: to invite people to
experience both emotionally, and
intellectually.

14. In our world that
strives for perfection
and order through
computerization, I find
an excitement in
digital errors. These
unwanted glitches so
bothersome to the
eye due to the
programming of
human perception,
are unique and
exciting in their own
way. Exploring
patterns existing in
everyday life I find a
strange satisfaction in
purposefully breaking
them through the very
means that reinforces
them. We tend to find
comfort in routine and
repetition, it lulls the
mind into a safe haven
of conformity, and so I
choose to bring in the
thrill of the
unexpected into the
endless monotony.
NIMRA KHAN
KARACHI

15. I wanted to show how I feel about the
Uncertainty amongst people and the Hope
left in Pakistan through shapes and
compositions. “Raat abhi jawan hai Jani”
literal meaning “there is still hope left”.
Frustrated life and chaos situation which is
scattered everywhere in Pakistan now has
ended the trust among fellow citizen. A
faith which is very necessary for a
communal or social life has lost its roots
because of the ambiguity and unlawful
activities in our cities. Being an artist it is
my responsibility to change the perception
of a viewer and to develop a trust and
faith between people. I fancy, people
reclaim their lives and I feel like adding the
colors of social gathering which were a by-part
HIRA KHALID
HYDERABAD
of life sometimes earlier.
Through my visuals I wish to bring hope
among people. The shiny streets and
roads covered with sparkling lights of sign
boards and blushing cheeks of people in
the evenings. I am going to make part of
my art work through first share colors and
visuals of timely enjoying people.

16. MARYAM SALEEM
HYDERABAD
My body of work
is based on
moments. The
work I did is
those moments
which destined
to come in our lie
but have great
impact and
changed our life.
This experienced
I have shown in
my work, by
doing these
drawings. The
wires in my
drawings shows
continuity I
thought that
these wires are
like passed days
having ups and
downs but leaves
a great impact at
our life.

17. Garbage is
found all over
in society. It
spreads
negative
impact. This
negative
approach
forced me to
think about it. I
tried to change
the notion by
using it as a
medium in my
work. I found it
visually very
interesting.
Random
compositions,
variety of
tones are very
fascinating.
MEHRU UN NISA
HYDERABAD

18. I believe, I have an
extraordinary memory. I
had spent my life in the
congested environment.
It bothered me a lot with
the passage of time. I am
turning romantic and
nostalgic for it.
My Paintings are
presented in the form of
mini snapshots of
ordinary scenes
containing ordinary
objects strew about in
ordinary settings.
Crowded interiors of my
old spaces. To create the
feel of overcrowded
space, I chose to work on
a small scale and
rendered the objects in
intricate details by
putting a lot of hard
work.
ZAHRA ASIM
LAHORE

19. SABIR ALI
TANDO ALLAH YAR
In my work I am showing
those things that which is all
around my environment
recently .I have used it ,which
simultaneously change my
environment the studio in the
facility of FACTs were so many
students come there and do
work of art oil paints
drawings practice on drawing
boards and they use drawing
boards for drawing
The inspiration of my work is
the environment of those
things .'drawings board on
drawing 'the material of
drawing board use for
drawing and many technically
process of drawing .I have
used the surface of canvas
and work on it with my skill
and experience The actual
board is not a durable
material .I have painted
drawings boards on canvas
like is it, and create a illusion
of this .

20. I take art as a most
significant and most
thoughtful way to
depict the particular
aspects of one’s
imagination and
interest. Here I have
used multiple media
to illustrate certain
ideas, thoughts and
realities.
HUREEN AKRAM
KARACHI

21. I kept asking questions from myself
since my visit to Baluchistan. Is
woman a different creature then
human being and man? Children
with sad faces doesn’t have right to
be happy and enjoy the beauty of
life? It seemed to me Stone Age in
twenty first century…
My work is about women identity
and children I saw. Woman is
confined to family roles, their
identity is subtracted from their
personality, she cannot enjoy
individual freedom and perform
multiple roles she wants. And
children had grown up before their
childhood due to burden of
responsibilities of earning.
With their potential unlocked and
their dreams unrealized, I heard a
silent noise inside them..
In my paintings I showed women
without faces and replaced their
faces with other images .worked in
ink on paper and digital print and ink
work together.
MARIA JAMALI
HYDERABAD

22. My work is focused on the
documentation of a street as
seen from a roof top at
different times of the day. I
begin a piece by carefully
observing the space, I take in
everything; from the lights
to the dark, from the silence
to the noise. I capture all the
things I see at a particular
time along with the range of
emotions that bubble up
inside of me while doing
that. Time and light have an
equal place in my artwork.
Although every piece is
created in the same space
and it captures that same
space but it has its own
experience which is distinct
from others, behind every
piece lies a different story
and a different feeling.
NAUSHEEN KHAN
KARACHI

23. In my distant memories of growing up, learning
mechanics of real airplanes and watching the fascinating
details of engines was something I fondly did. It triggered
my imagination, inspired me to draw them but more than
that I was expected to fly them. Being a GPL Pilot and a
CAA authorized aircraft mechanic, I felt limited and
constrained. Something I wasn’t really sure about started
a contradictory conflict within me. What lies between is a
huge haze of confusion, clash of ideas and flight from
certain circumstances but not able to fully shun what has
been planted in one’s mind.
My work is about compromises and conflicts within a
personality, between idea innate and idea implanted, and
the damage to the personality and the idea itself. The
occurrence of feather and metal in my work continue to
build and deceive the viewer because of their very nature,
one being the artificially created and the other nature
itself. Yet it is a contradiction to their very existence. The
battle of opposing a planted idea in my work also explains
that it is not always easy to make something you think
best for yourself and act according to your will doesn’t
necessarily makes it your reality. Sometimes it leaves you
claustrophobic and again leaves you with a desire to fly to
the unknown.
YASIR WAQAS
LAHORE

24. In my work I have
shown creativity. I
have found a unique
medium bindya.
Each bindya has
been pasted by
needle. I mostly
work on black and
white theme as a
symbol of patience
and peace. I have
drawn an imaginary
and attracted forms
and shapes in my
work with different
style.
BILAL MIRZA
HYDERABAD

25. My work is inspired by
elements in my
surroundings that leads to
multiple levels of aesthetic
inquiry pertaining to
space, figure-grounded
relationship, distance and
proximity etc. I
transformed the objects
and figures in my
immediate environment
into matrices of a complex
visual disorder. The
interplay of spaces ,
surfaces, textures
,materials and sensitive
use of domestic and
familiar act as devices to
help me transform the
personal and the mundane
into imaginary
phenomena. My interest in
exploring new ideas,
mediums and methods of
work has led me to
experience a different
visual vocabulary-especially
that of flat color
and hard edge painting.
QADIR JHATIAL
LAHORE

26. My work is about
exploring
different things
and mediums I
am creating my
own surfaces to
convey my
reactions,
messages and
emotions.
I have always
been inspired by
the world around
me and the
inspiration for my
work comes from
variety of sources
including
personal
experiences,
people, events,
old master
artworks, books
etc.
ROHAIL GHOURI
HYDERABAD

27. Previously I have done my thesis
on myself in which I combined
my abaya with different birds,
animals and objects. I did it with
very minute details by using
miniature technique. Presently i
am working on a different topic
which is also related to myself
and the nature around me.
My work depicts my
surrounding in which I am living
or which I see. I am realizing
that many amazing and extra
ordinary things are present in
front of my eyes. So I have
decided to use these things in
my new work.
I have tried to combine the
present and past by choosing
some symbolic things, Which
are traditional tiles, style of
painting water in traditional
miniature. Which attracts me a
lot. Red tiles and the water
which earlier miniature artists
used to paint in a traditional
style attracts me a lot. I have
done a little change by breaking
the continuation of tiles and
flow of water in irregular form.
TOOBA SHEIKH
HYDERABAD

28. As an artist I have observed
all thing around me
although my art have
realistic visual hence there
is a conceptual and
contemporary thinking
behind it.
The human form for me is
the most important
phenomenon of the
universe I recognized a
number of hidden secrets
of human by the time.
"our politicians are the like
of these glittery boxes.
They show us only their
dazzling sides and we don’t
know what is hidden inside
the whole package.
KIRAN SAEED
KARACHI

29. My interest of
wandering pushes me to
explore and investigate
socio-political and
cultural aspects of space
(Tulamba) through my
art practice. Tulamba is
my home town and
located southern
Punjab, Pakistan. I am
engaging or holding the
space with my practice,
and trying to find
connections with it
through my own
experience all of it in
relation to space and
historical significance of
the space, its current
global values and
connection with another
world. And also trying to
figure out the “sense of
self” and “sense of
space” esthetically as
well as what is the
reaction of space with
time?
FARRUKH ADNAN
LAHORE