M. Shafique Rana

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.

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.

S.M. Naqvi acquired his diploma in graphic designing from the Mashkoor Art School and was awarded the Quaid e Azam award. He has also studied art under the renowned Pakistani artist Iqbal Mehdi. Naqvi’s artworks demonstrate intensity of colors and bold strokes in abstract form. The artist aims to stir the inner soul and connects the viewer not just to the beauty of human experience in its existence but also what lies beyond the vision. In his artworks, he alters colors and forms to achieve total abstraction that bears no relation to anything recognizable. The outcome is an explosion of technique and color.

An artist from Punjab, Pakistan, Awais Ahmed is treasure trove of talent. Developing his artistic talents Awais moved from watercolors and charcoal sketches to oil on canvas. His ‘Malang Series’ highlights impressive techniques in portrait art and he encaptures the Malang in movement swaying as a devotee. One can almost picture his turbaned Malangs sitting as a devotee at a shrine.