The Embassy of the Argentine Republic & Serena Hotels Present
Laberintour September 14 – October 12
It has been eight years since I became the Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Pakistan, a place far away from Argentina, but a fantastic, and generous and warm country. I am a strong believer in Art as the best form of bringing together two countries that are so far apart geographically. Art acts as a cultural bridge that communicates diverse peoples all over the world, for which social customs, language, religious and racial barriers do not exist Through the years I have been here, I have worked with the great collaboration of all the components of the Argentine Embassy in order to successfully produce a wide range of cultural activities. So far we have had 7 painting exhibitions, 3 photography expositions, 1 book presentation, 2 argentine film series, etc. Without any doubt I can truly and proudly say that Argentina has been, by far, the Latin American country which has had the most extensive cultural presence in Pakistan in the last 8 years. With activities held not only in Islamabad but also in Lahore and Karachi. Once again today, along with the generous sponsorship of the Serena Hotel and with the collaboration of Asma Khan and Zahra Khan, we bring Argentine Art to Pakistan, this time to the Satrang Gallery of the Serena Hotel of Islamabad in an exhibition entitled “Laberintour�. The argentine painter, who is heading the exhibition, Jorge CANALE is a renowned architect and graphic designer as well as a successful artist who has through the past years exposed his works in different galleries in Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic and Finland and also in this part of the world in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and China. He has also taken part in two collective expositions held in Pakistan organized by the Argentine Embassy in 2007 and 2010. Many of his paintings are owned by Pakistani art collectors. H. E. Rodolfo Martin Saravia Ambassador of the Argentine Republic
I take great pride in our SerenArts Program which continues to showcase great talent, remarkable music ability and centuries old craftsmanship. It is the true essence of Serena Hotels and what we represent at each of our locations. Satrang Gallery, in particular, has given artists’ and art lovers’ alike an exclusive platform – a befitting environment in the magnificent Islamabad Serena Hotel – to exhibit some of the best art available. This month, I am pleased to see yet another creative exhibition titled ‘Laberintour’ which is being planned with the collaboration of His Excellency Rodolfo Martin Saravia, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic. I wish the Satrang Gallery and Laberintour the very best. Aziz Boolani Chief Executive Officer Serena Hotels – South & Central Asia
Laberintour Jorge Canale | Jamil Baloch | Noor Ali Chagani | Maha Ahmed | Tahir Ali | Qadir Jhatial | Suleman Mengal With the support of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic and Serena Hotels, Satrang Gallery is proud to present Laberintour. This multi-medium group exhibition features the work of seven exceptionally talented artists, Argentinean and Pakistani. The artists in Laberintour examine a restrictive and complicated maze, both visually and spatially, through a variety of techniques and mediums. Their work forms a dialogue and is a critical representation of a distorted reality – a judgment that is formed by their impressions of surrounding environments. Jorge Canale is a gifted Argentinean artist whose paintings exemplify his architectural prowess. Canale has been inspired by the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. While depicting the twisting turns and hidden routes of a labyrinth, Canale has illustrated life’s mysteries, escape routes and familiarities. Suleman Mengal has worked with a similar theme. He has created an installation piece that resembles the beginning of a maze and has covered the base of this piece with long sharp nails. Mengal’s clever engineering allows visitors to walk on the bed of nails unharmed. By converting an age-old metaphor into a practical installation, Mengal plays with the fear and insecurity that risk and bravery often bring. Jamil Baloch’s work is inspired by socio-economic inequalities. His pieces portray the current political climate and push restrictive boundaries. By presenting the viewer with pieces that portray thick, seemingly impenetrable mesh, Baloch emphasizes the danger of sightlessness or ignorance. Qadir Jhatial is also inspired by social situations, yet unlike Baloch, he reduces his experiences and impressions of the world into minimalistic shapes. Jhatial heightens the reality of his setting by utilizing bright splashes of strong vibrant colours. Tahir Ali’s paintings are powerful abstract creations. These paintings are based upon his impressions of natural landscapes. Ali then distorts and inverts these fleeting emotional imprints until they form his carefully composed pieces. This unique rendering reduces the viewer’s ability to see through the dreamlike landscape that Ali creates – much like the intent of a labyrinth. Noor Ali Chagani and Maha Ahmed have created large sculptures utilizing miniature individual parts. Chagani provides stability in his pieces by building sculptures out of numerous, minute bricks. In Pixels of My Portrait, Chagani encases these bricks in mirror frames and metal stands, warping perception. Chagani silently comments on the weight individuals grant to particular aspects of their lives and expands the breadth of his artwork. Ahmed, in her sculpture Remnants, has designed a piece to express the unfinished business that human souls leave behind. Ahmed’s maze-like structure, composed of multiple open and closed boxes, presents an individual’s life – scattered segments that are firmly squashed into minuscule spaces. The exhibition continues until October 12, 2012.
Zahra Khan Curator
Jorge Canale b. 1948 Lives and works in Argentine
The millenary image of the labyrinth reveals the fascination that man has had for a form that must be solved to be accomplished, as life itself proposes. A form in which it is easy to enter, but from which it is difficult to find one´s way out, always through a long path that discards the idea of a clear shortcut, the impossible dream of anyone who faces it. Three thousand years ago the Minotaur learned from these ups and downs, and even today humans learn from this myth. The choice of a mixed technique and printed magazine paper as support for these works speaks of the complexity of resources that we need to use to access to the information that is hidden in the media. Modern man lives in the area of information-disinformation provided by the technological tool, and which should be individually walked in a labyrinthic way to be resolved. LABERINTOUR BLUE RAIN, 2004 Acrylic on paper | 10.82 x 7.87 inches
LABERINTOUR SCHIZOID, 2004 Acrylic on paper | 11.02 x 8.46 inches
Jamil Baloch b. 1972 Graduated from National College of Arts Lives and works in Lahore
As an artist, I have always tried to work with issues which concern humankind, coupled with this is the aesthetic found in the world around us. I try not to accept the boundaries that seem to be in place with regards to materials or inspirational sources. I have always explored diverse media and a variety of themes, which some how are inter-related to one another and through them to me. Here, in this series of work, I have derived an inspiration from my previous work and subjects.
Extremity IV, 2010 Acrylic on paper | 30 x 22 inches
Extremity III, 2010 Acrylic on paper | 30 x 22 inches
Noor Ali Chagani b. 1982 Graduated from National College of Arts Lives and works in Lahore
My work revolves around the concept of absence of home. In most of my work I found my self in search of small piece of land, to whom I can call mine. Being a broken home child I feel very close to the idea of home, family and personal space. My interest towards architecture is also evident in my work. Bricks hold a significant place in my work, for me bricks represent all my feelings, it act as a building unit of my dreams. Their small size makes them personal to me. They act as a transforming unit in the transformation of a miniature painters thoughts in to a sculpture. Their repetitive use refers to the idea of building up a miniature painting with thousands of tiny brush strokes.
Pixels of my portrait, 2011 Terracotta bricks, cast iron and rubber solution | 51 x 20 x 1 inches
Untitled, 2012 Terracotta bricks, rubber solution and wood | 17 x 21 x 1 inches
Maha Ahmed b. 1989 Graduated from National College of Arts Lives and works in Lahore
Close your eyes, you will see everything that your mind is thinking, it’s a series of overlapping images that are created and recreated as your mind wanders through different recollections of your life, my paper is that void you think you see, there are no limitations, just infinite prospect. What actually exists in reality and how the mind perceives it are two different things. I feel as an Artist I have the liberty of diminishing the line between what is and what could be. In my work I create spaces within spaces, layers of ambiguous forms that construct an image that is reminiscent of reality and abstraction; a space that is non-space.
Remnants, 2012 Paper | 2.5 x 5 feet
Qadir Jhatial b. 1986 Graduated from National College of the Arts Lives and works in Lahore
My work, inspired from the elements in my surroundings, is about a multiple level of aesthetic inquiry. I transform the objects/environments into visual of complex chromatic order. The interplay of space, surfaces, textures and materials, and the sensitive use of domestic and familiar items are sources for me to make my work personal and imaginative visual object. My Interest in exploring new ideas, mediums and methods of working has led me to experience a different visual vocabulary, especially flat color paintings. Using this form of expression inspired me to study works the theory of art and other concepts related to our aesthetic experiences.
Untitled (Diptych) Enamel on canvas | 24 x 15 inches
Tahir Ali b. 1986 Graduated from National College of the Arts Lives and works in Lahore
My work is created by gestures, expressive lines and intuitive colour choices. It is not an observational record, but contains elements of an emotional experience in nature.
Untitled, 2012 Mix media on board | 4 x 4 feet
Forms and rhythm play an active role in my process, and subtle palettes of colour create a moving and restless balance. The act of assembling, selecting and collecting found objects and mediums develops my final image. The paintings play with the two dimensionality of a canvas - some explore and enhance the flatness of the surface, while others create an illusion of three dimensional depths through multiple layering, imagination and mark making. There are familiar objects and things present in the imagery, accompanied by a simultaneous feeling that dismisses their recognition.
Untitled, 2012 Mix media on board | 3 x 3 feet
Suleman Mengal b. 1985 Graduated from National College of Arts Lives and works in Lahore
My art reflects my inner expression which is being affected by the environment i live in. Like every sensitive individual i am deeply affected by the situation of my country. By making people walk on nails, I have changed the perception of apparent reality. I have shared my experience of conscious pain suffered by every individual, through protruding nails i have depicted a visual form of pain which is altogether a different experience when you walk on it. It also depicts how we become numb to a certain situation or pain after a certain period of time.
Pain of consciousness Metal and wood | 4 x 32 feet
Asma Rashid Khan - Director Zahra Khan - Curator
Maimoona Riaz- Gallery Assistant Azanat Mansoor- Gallery Assistant
satrang.ish@serena.com.pk |
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