Awakening through art
Sharif-ul Islam’s dream of “an ideal society”. — Photos: Provided
eaconhouse National University’s Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design recently held its Degree Show 2023, which presented the works of 15 Masters students from Pakistan and other SAARC countries.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Karachi Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah and MD-SVAD Dean Prof Rashid Rana. Also present at the event were faculty members and chief guests which included Nasreen Kasuri.
The artworks were exhibited in the form of installations and projections. The themes highlighted post-humanism, artificial intelligence, socio-political issues, displacement, gender oppression and how we affect the environment. The artists aimed to raise awareness as they all seemed to believe in awakening through art.
In his work, Sharif-ul Islam, a student from Bangladesh, highlighted what it means to be an outsider in a country. “I dream of an ideal society,” said the artist.
Sri Lankan artist Danushka’s A Fossil Being of Images was a retrospective of images as a form of existence in the rapidly emerging world of artificial intelligence. Her work seemed to inform the viewer of a possible post-human future in which images play a crucial role.
Brishna Amin Khan’s work consisted of five installations that each depicted his concept along with the use of interaction through projection and gesture mapping. It reminded the viewer that what goes around comes around.
One of the five installations by Brishna Amin Khan.
Each artist who exhibited at the degree show seemed to inspire communication between the art and its audience, dealing with “multiple facets of reality, perceived by humans, artificially constructed, parallel versions, subliminal solutions.”
How do we understand the unconscious self? This question was investigated by Susiman Rinoshan from Sri Lanka. The complexity that lies between our understanding of the self through the lens of the subconscious has shaped his work and served as a platform for all who are often faced with the dilemma of how to distinguish between a known self and an unknown. distinguish
Kunjan Tamang, from Nepal, tried to make sense of everyday life in his work, titled Everyday Activities and Hidden Labour. Through his eyes, everyday activities are banal or repetitive.
Each artist who exhibited at the degree show seemed to inspire communication between the art and its audience, dealing with “multiple facets of reality, perceived by humans, artificially constructed, parallel versions, subliminal solutions.”
The show was versatile and diverse in terms of themes as well as the methods the artists used to portray them. The dominant mediums of expression were projections and installations. Each individual artwork stood out; each conveyed its meaning; and each reflected the importance of technology in the modern world.
The Degree Fair was held from February 6 to 11 at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
