Premise of Promise — a group show of six emerging artists curated by Quddus Mirza

KARACHI: Painter, critic, writer and educator, Quddus Mirza curates a group show focusing on the emerging talent poised to become the next big thing. On view at Canvas, the exciting new work is created by Moonis Ahmed, Mahbub Jokhio, Sehrish Rafique Malik, Maryam Saleem, Kanwal Tariq and Haya Zaidi.

An interesting mix including multiple styles, approaches and new media, the works on display are thematically different yet strikingly similar in each artist’s pursuit of a vocabulary that is individual, independent and purely their own. Exploring the world both inward and outward in their art making, loss, longing, memory, melancholy, reminisces, divide and defeat are some of the thought-provoking subjects dealt with in the sculptures, prints, paintings, collages, installations and video projections on display.

Talking about the young artists and their works carefully selected by the eminent curator Quddus Mirza for the show, Sameera Raja of canvas gallery acknowledges their merit. Recently graduating from NCA and BNU, Lahore, all six artists already stand out and are exceptional in their own way, says Raja sharing her thoughts about their respective talent and extraordinary skill.

Among the six emerging names to watch out for, Haya Zaidi who has recently graduated from National College of Arts, Lahore, hails from Karachi. Surreal and mythical in her approach, her intricate works created out of collage, ink, acrylics, glitter and contact paper over Mylar comment on the indifferent capitalist culture prevailing the metropolis, explains Zaidi.  

Aptly titled, ‘Premise of Promise’, the group show packed up with six up and coming names, is to continue till February 23rd.