Behzad Warsi

Hailing from Karachi, Pakistan, Behzad is on the forefront of the younger generation of Pakistani artists. He transforms colors on the canvas into mesmerizing stances. The starkness of the red and black colors of his artworks command attention. He is the recipient of a gold medal in Fine Arts from the Arts Council of Pakistan in 2022.

Shaista is a self-taught artist who believes that an artist draws inspiration from beauty in human form and from expressions. Her canvases encapsulate women, nature’s most beautiful and complete creation and encaptures their great strength in tolerating pain with a smile. The pigeons or musical instruments such as a flute or sitar in her painting are symbolic of freedom of speech and a woman’s desire to be free. The jewelry on the women while giving the deception of beauty are actually symbolic of chains and restrains, which restrict them from being free.

Naushad Alam’s artworks encapsulated the whirling dance of the dervish. His ability to transform his brush strokes to capture a spiritual devotee consumed in a journey of self-transformation embracing divine love , fulfillment and joy in devotion is truly commendable.

Sadaf Farasat’s paintings revolve around Sufism and are influenced by Rumi’s poetry exploring mysticism and devotion. Her artworks usually depict twirling dervishes, depicting movement, exploring the purpose of existence, searching for divine love and through the journey of life. The smooth yet powerfully assertive motion of the twirling dervishes reflect the cycle of pain and pleasure. Sadaf explores the mystical traditions of various cultures and renders them masterfully on larges canvas using bright colors.