Source : Jay’s Toons

As appeared in Daily Jang today

Shared by KMB reader “firstofficer”

The work on display is vibrantly colorful with energetic strokes, layers of colors, textures forms and shapes painting an energetic and  joyous world.  Works titled “Carousel” and one (triptych) titled “Zikr” are the ones which I personally enjoyed the most because they have so many layers, forms and colors integrated into them, of hope, simple joys, bringing mental peace through all the chaos that life offers. The work “Safar” a set of six pieces too a personal favorite paints the different experiences one learns through in a journey, of life or of discovering the great depths in it.

The artists say “My recent works focuses on my overriding interest with abstractions, occasional hints of imagery, tracing my continued interest in the mystical. Despite my ostensibly conservative Values, these works for me joyously liberating, capturing luminosities, hybrid animal Forms, limbs receding into arches leading into the higher state, the Unknown.”
The show will remain open for general public till 28th, January  2010, at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi

Canvas Gallery:
F-20 / A, Block – 4, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.
Phone: +92 21 586 1523

With all these days passing by and this year coming to an end, am getting happier, gay and proud – of myself, this city, its art, the artists and my love. A new gallery opens up at the much ancient Shafi Courts, Poppy Seed, by Indus TV group. The principal curator at Poppy Seed, the excitingly named gallery, is Sumbul Khan.

Sumbul has carefully curated a collection comprising works of Mohsin Shafi, Samar Zia, Ambreen Hameed, Mariam Ahmed, Arif Taha, Sonia Shah, Sausan Saulat, Ammad Tahir, Huma Shah and Emaan Mahmud. The exhibition titled ‘Dear Diary’, is not inspired or curated keeping Britney Spear’s song of the same name, but these are confessions of the showcased artists.

The launch day started with readings by Sanam Saeed, Momin Zafar, Omar Bilal Akhtar and Zoe Viccaji, who came to the gallery a week prior to the opening day and studied the pieces which were going to be on exhibit. Accordingly, they chose what poems to read which related to the work exhibited. Reading session was a welcome change and added more flavour to the entire showing, also one could relate easily to the work displayed. One could hear pieces read from Faraz Maqsood Hamidi’s book SKIN.

Worth Mentioning Displays:

- Arif Taha’s ‘I see, I record’ is an eye-catching visual presentation of a pencil which hangs from the ceiling with strings on a mirror with wooden stand..
- Sonia Shah’s ‘Self Portrait’ is a girl behind a locked carved door. Her dress is stuck in between the door and one could see her frightened eyes peeking behind the chained wooden door. This is one of the best pieces at display here.
- Sausan Saulat’s ‘Bored on Board’ was a series of paintings showing a young boy playing, thinking and contemplating on the canvases which were pages from a notebook. Sadly this is not for sale.
- Ammad Tahir showcased a series of paintings. His work showed growth of a dancer or most likely how he himself wanted or still desires to be a dancer. The first piece showed shades of the dancer’s past and then how the dancer loses himself in this world amongst all the machinery and finally how he starts dancing in his dreams once he could not fulfill his desires in reality.
- Huma Shah’s ‘The Struggle’ was a beautiful painting of a man struggling to climb a dangerous edgy mountain range.

Poppy Seed gallery is a breath of fresh air in the local art scene. One hopes to see excellently curated exhibitions here keeping in mind Sumbul’s study of history and Islamic art. Dear Diary exhibition is on till 9th January 2010.

Location: Koel Gallery, F-42/2 Block 4 Clifton Karachi, Pakistan

Phone: 021 5831292

This time again KATHA along with The Rotary Club is bringing yet another fundraiser theatrical show “Kahaniyan”, a set of three one act plays directed by Shahid Shafat with Sania Saeed being the lead role in all three acts. Other performers include Ehteshamuddin, Saleem Meraj, and Akber Khan.

The play is a series of three comedy plays, based on short stories : .

Khan Ka Ishq: Adapted from Auntie by Henry James is a comical and pathetic tale of a middle-aged woman, desperately guarding her faded youth for the sake of love.

Lottery by Anton Chekhov, is a story of a husband and wife who are ecstatic at the fact that the wife has won a lottery that will make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Subha : an adaptation of “Sunny Morning” originally written by Serafin and Joaquin Alvarez Quintero. a romentic comedy of two old people meeting each other randomly in a park, they thought they were strangers but is that really so…

Being a fund raiser the proceeds of the event will go to charitable projects of Rotary Club of Karachi which has been very active with several social causes one of which is the Jaipur foot project where artificial limbs designed specially to meet the needs of the lifestyle of the people belonging to this region are provided free of cost to the handicapped poor people so they can walk, work,  perform day to day tasks like riding bicycle almost like a normal person. Other projects by The Rotary Club include providing education, clean drinking water, health care services, and free medicines. This play will feed the funds into many of their ongoing projects.

Dates:

• 21 of November 8:00 Pm daily till 25 November 2009

Venue:

• Arts Council Auditorium

Tickets are available at:

• Rotary Club office Ph: 0213-2411458
• Agha’s Super Market
• Rain Tree Spa at the Forum Mall

Tables of 10 seats will be available to guests, for which an appropriate voluntary donation will be appreciated. All proceeds from the night will go towards funding the activities of NOWPDP in improving the lives of people with disabilities in Pakistan. If you are interested in attending the event, please contact the NOWPDP office on +92-21-3586 5501, (Ext. 237) .

NOWPDP envisions a society where people with disabilities have equal rights, dignity, justice and access to opportunities. NOWPDP works toward building the capacities of its 150 member organisations, heightening awareness of the cause of people with disabilities, advocating rights and needs, and giving them opportunities that are routinely denied to them. NOWPDP is a registered non-profit organisation. For more information, please visit NOWPDP.

Last edited: 10:43pm, 22/10/09

Every year The annual Machar art exhibition proves and reminds us over and again that these children, homed in one of the cities largest shanty town are sheer victims of our arrogance and ignorance, they are no less then any other of us actually even better as they are battling through their tough circumstances and yet they have the patience to politely express their emotions, dreams, stories and thoughts through art with colorful drawings, photographs and pottery.

This year again Concern for Children Trust has brought the hopes, dreams stories and thoughts of these underprivileged children of Karachi’s largest shanty town Machar colony to the privileged of the city with hope that their story might move a soul or melt down a few heart to tears and then maybe we might just break out of this shell of arrogance and embrace them as fellow citizens.

The 4th Annual Machar Art Exhibition titled “Yehan Say Shehr Ko Dekho” will be opening on the 2nd of October, 2009, 7 pm  sharp, at the Zahoor -ul- Akhlaq Gallery, Indus Valley School of art and Architecture. The Exhibition will continue till the 5th, October 2009 (Except Sunday).

For further details and information contact.

Concern for Children Trust:
Web: http://www.concernforchildren.org.pk
Email: info@concernforchildren.org.pk
Phone: (021) 220-1522 & 220-1384