Written By: Rehan Botejue
Pakistani artists have gained a high degree of recognition throughout the country and internationally. The efforts of a myriad of art galleries and large scale contemporary art exhibitions in promoting Pakistan’s artists, history and culture have been indispensable in that regard: various art initiatives and non-profits have given our local talent the platforms that were once lacking. Karachi has been at the core of these developments, with a number of notable art spaces displaying a large variety of works.
Full Circle Gallery has played a part in that process. They put on solo exhibitions, masterpieces from more established artists, exhibits from emerging talents, a whole host of works seeking to visually represent the regions, cultures and history of Pakistan – in general, they remain a gallery always pushing the boundaries of contemporary conceptions of art.
Their range of exhibitions are typically engaging and stimulating art viewing experiences, and their latest travelling exhibition, 1×1, is no exception. Zara Sajid and Scherezade Junejo’s unique curatorial project has made its way from Islamabad’s Aqs Art Gallery, where it received critical praise and positive reviews , to Full Circle Gallery in Karachi.
Constraints can inspire creativity, and the curatorial challenge to the chosen artists was to encapsulate the entirety of their individual studios in a single square foot of work. Each artist submitted art varying in styles and concepts, with digital art, oil on canvas, mixed media works, pen on paper pieces, and much more experimenting with different mediums.
The ultimate collection was compiled with the curators’ visions of an all-encompassing exhibition covering aspects of Pakistan’s social fabric. It promotes our country’s peaceful side and cultural diplomacy in general, and confronts a vast scope of issues ranging from politics, identity, technology, urban decadence, consumerism, traditions and violence.
The practical difficulties of this collaboration and the ambition of the curators have made this array of art exhibits particularly remarkable. The artists have come to their own conclusions in their pieces, and the aggregate of their individual narratives form an incredible collective. In co-curator Scherezade Junejo’s words – ‘the result is a well-rounded and harmonious assemblage of canvases, which accurately represent the zeitgeist of our socio-cultural landscape’. Don’t miss the wealth of talent and creativity on display at 1X1.
Works by:
Abdul Muhammad
Ahmer Farooq
Alia Bilgrami
Amal Uppal
Amir Raza
Amna Suheyl
Anas Abro
Annem Zaidi
Ayesha Naveed
Dua Abbas
Faizan Riedinger
Faten Suleman
Fatima Jafri
Fatima Nadeem
Hassan Shah Gilani
Hoor Imad
Irfan Gul
Irfan Hassan
Komal Shahid Khan
Mahrukh Bajwa
Maryam Arslan
Maryam Baniasadi
Mina Arham
Mir Dostak
Mohsin Shaikh
Murad Khan
Noormah Jamal
Noureen Rashid
Numair Abbasi
Raja Najam Ul Hassan
Raza Bukhari
Saba Tanveer
Sakina Ali
Sana Dar
Sana Nezam
Sana Saeed
Sanya Hussain
Saqiba Suleman
Sara Aslam Noorani
Sarah Mir
Scheherezade Junejo
Shabir Baloch
Shanzay Subzwari
Shehzil Malik
Shiblee Muneer
Shiraz Malik
Sidrat ul Munteha
Suleman Khilji
Sundeep Kumar
Tahira Noreen
Ujala Khan
Zoha Khan
Zoya Manan
