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Rejoice as love transcends time

By Urooj Zia

KARACHI: “Pretty colours” is the first thought that comes to mind when viewing a set of paintings by Naheed Afridi, collectively titled “Rejoice in the Name of Love,” which opened at the Alliance Francaise on Friday. The exhibit was inaugurated by French Consul General Pierre Siellan.

Afridi, a graduate of the Karachi School of Art, with certifications in drawing and ceramic designing from Seattle, Washington, USA, has been painting since 1987, and has had three solo shows and more than 10 group shows to date. Her last solo show was in Delhi, India, in February 2006. Afridi now teaches Visual Art and History of Art at the Center Institute of Art and Craft (CIAC), Arts Council, Pakistan, along with conducting occasional workshops at the Pakistan Air Force’s Karachi Institute of Engineering and Technology (PAF-KIET).

“Rejoice in the Name of Love” is a collection 30 beautiful pieces of oil on board and oil and pencil on board, a display that is accompanied by soft, flowing music providing the perfect ambience. Inspired by nature and Afridi’s own abstract poetry, the paintings depict gender relationships through varying hypotheses.

Her deep interest in mythology and culture is evident in the pieces as she transcends race, age and time and juxtaposes ancient folklore with modern-day symbolism.

“I feel a connection with every part of the world,” Afridi told Daily Times. “I find something interesting wherever I go – every culture has a uniqueness that I try to portray in my work.”

Her choice of colours is indeed breathtakingly striking; contrasting as well as complementing shades overlap with amazing alacrity to create eclectic blends, resulting in artistic masterpieces.

A unique concept that was evident in all of the paintings was the use of ‘windows’ within a frame to highlight major concepts in the pieces.

“The composition is divided into sections within sections,” Afridi explained enthusiastically. “It begins with a major rectangular section in the horizontal middle, and then connects with more sections within the frame – much like a register.”

“These paintings are an appreciation of the attractive and interesting stuff of nature,” Afridi said. “I’ve tried to show that there is a beautiful side to everything – even things that are not traditionally considered as icons of beauty.”

This much was evident in her portrayal of insects, lizards, chameleons and snakes. “Nature is beautiful. And all of these are a part of nature. How can they not be beautiful too?” Afridi reasoned.

Rejoice in the name of love is indeed a compelling love story, an anthology expertly told in 30 chapters through Naheed Afridi’s unique interpretation of realism within the sphere of abstraction. The display will remain open to public at the Alliance Francaise till September 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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