What remains broucher

What Remain are Children’s Lullabies

Satrang Gallery is an initiative of Serena Hotels Pakistan to encourage and promote talented artists in their pursuit of excellence

Satrang gallery is proud to present What Remain are Children’s Lullabies. In this collaborative international exhibition, six artists, two from The United States and four from Pakistan, have worked collectively for over an year by mailing artworks in progress across continents. The result of this co-operation is a series of rich and unique pieces created by six innovative and talented artists.

Satrang Gallery under the SerenArts mandate promotes Pakistani art and also provides an exclusive platform to showcase art from other countries. International cooperation in the arts is important as we strongly believe that art and culture build bridges between people and nations.

I am confident that this exhibition will be extremely successful.

By promoting the talents of these young artists, Satrang Gallery is forging the right path towards new horizons of global artistic collaboration.

I would like to thank the Ambassador of United States HE Richard Olson for his kind support. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Aziz Boolani, the CEO of Serena Hotels for his unwavering commitment to supporting art Asma Rashid Khan Director Satrang Gallery

What Remain are Children’s Lullabies experiments with the boundaries of aesthetics, memories and imaginations. In this exhibition East meets West, and is not just about sharing art pieces and works of one another but also about sharing each other’s dreams, emotions and realities. Each individual artist creates personal narratives while plotting around magical and supernatural fantasies simultaneously merging and tracing the realities of their fellow artists. It is a combined effort of six artists whose works are humorous and irreverent illustrations, texts, miniatures, prints and explore and experiment with the mediums they have used as a catalyst for fantasy depiction.

In What Remain are Children’s Lullabies artists have worked on series of drawings by mailing them back and forth across continents.

Apart from being just drawings they have challenged boundaries and limitations by experimenting with new mediums meanwhile drawing and working their way around the cultural and physical borders.

Samreen’s preservation of traditional miniature imagery and Sakina’s drawing inspiration from her surroundings and her relationship with people compliments and contrast Marian’s work who build her personal mythologies based on the images she has been observing while she grew up.

On the other hand, Saad, Sundas & Chloe shares thoughts on human longing for love, affection and identity. This collection of collaborative and individual art pieces share thoughts on relationships with people and their surroundings. No matter where ever we live, we dig out and absorb some information in a slightly different context but the content remains the same. What makes this coalition more stirring is the selection of artists’ who practice in all different mediums ranging from print-miniature to collage-text.

In true spirit, exchanging their personal space and thoughts Chloe, Marian and Saad developed a visual narrative based on their understanding of the text pieces written by Sundas. The poems and illustrations on ‘Red & White’ and ‘I Want, I Want, I Want’ are symbolic of the human tendency of trying to fill emotional and psychological gaps with physical objects and desires. This is because of the insecurities of humanity and the inner demons. The series comments on human needs to gaining acceptance and affection as there are no parallels to true self-acceptance, confidence and happiness.

In a nut shell, What Remain are Children’s Lullabies brings contrasting, dreamy and fantastical imagery together to create thought provoking and allusive ambiance.

Sundas Rana Curator

Chloe Boden

A Fallacy of a Perfect Fantasy, 2013 Water color and graphite on paper • 12 x 9 Inches

Chloe Boden grew up in rural Pennsylvania, and finished high school at Rocky Grove Jr/Sr High.

From there, Boden went to Clarion University of Pennsylvania and finished her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Graphic Design. Boden try to stay ever active with her art and have been involved with several local shows including “The Creep Show” in Pittsburgh. She has formed a business, Rabbit Fool Productions, and will be basing out of New Orleans, LA soon.

People feel the need to gain acceptance and affection through their possessions and their outward image. However, these cannot possibly ever fill the inner voids that they attempt to cloak. There is no substitute for true self acceptance, confidence and happiness. You hold the key to your happiness inside of your soul. These natural human tendencies to substitute objects for emotions go hand in hand with big businesses and their efforts to create a blind, consumer society, in which people feel the constant need for more and more possession.

Marian Barber

Butter and Honey, 2013 Watercolor and gouache on paper • 12 x 10 Inches

Marian Barber received her Bachelors in Fine Art from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in May of 2010 and pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Delaware, Newark. Her work consists mainly of drawings done in watercolor and gouache but has also included embroidered pieces and carved sculptural works. Most recently Marian has exhibited work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Fe Gallery and Space gallery, Oxford, Pennsylvania at the Oxford Arts Alliance, and in Islamabad, Pakistan at Tehzeeb Gallery and the United States Embassy.

Folklore often exists in that space between the real and the imagined. I create my own mythologies with the images I grew up seeing, including the wildlife, landscape, and culture of the rural Pennsylvania town that I’ve come to know as home. This small town is located very near to the historic Gettysburg Battlefield, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Due to this influence my narratives often take place within or against the backdrop of Civil War imagery.

Through this lens I explore issues dealing with violence, the passage of time, and the way we remember history.

Saad Ahmed

Untitled, 2011 Aquatint • 40 x 20 Inches

Saad Ahmad (b.1989) graduated with a degree in Print making with a distinction from National College of Arts in 2013. Currently teaching at National College of Arts, Pindi campus he also regularly exhibits group shows. He is working freelance as a printmaker and painter.

There are actions we do in our every day life that can be categorized as normal actions and others as abnormal or unusual. What category any action fits in is a parameter that society dictates through ethics. Most of the time we are very much aware of what is right and what is wrong around us but there are certain acts that we unconsciously observe that tend to be very unusual.

These acts we grow comfortable with so they no longer seem as unusual to us.

Sundas Rana

Sugar Honey, 2013 Mixed media • 21 x 15 Inches

Sundas Rana (b. 1989) lives and works in Islamabad. She graduated from National College of Arts with Directors Honor’s award and studied on NESA Exchange program at Clarion University., Pennsylvania from 2009 – 2010. Currently working at the gallery of National College of Arts, Rawalpindi as Assistant Curator, she has exhibited her work at VM art gallery, Zahoor-ul-Ikhlaq art gallery, Tehzeeb art café, US Embassy Islamabad and Clarion University gallery, Pennsylvania. She works in different mediums including oils, text, gouache, mix media, collage and video installation.

I create my own narratives on correlation between different characters based on revisiting emotions and exploring wants. Red and white are more than a color to me. I see red as a feeling, red is state, red is gloomy & stingy, red is beautiful, red is red. White makes red shine, white is pure.

Red & White circling between filth & purity of love and regret stirs me.

Samreen Asif

Untitled, 2012 Opaque watercolor • 32 x 26 Inches

Samreen Asif has done her masters in Fine Arts from the College of Art and Design, Punjab University, Lahore in 2003 along with a PGD in Miniature Painting. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has 4 solo shows to her credit. Asif at present is serving as Assistant Professor for Drawing and Design in the Department of Architecture and Design, at Comsats. She lives and works in Islamabad.

I ventured to explore the ways that could lead me to knowledge, pursuit and preservation of traditional miniature art. After ceaseless struggle, I thought to create new and novel style of my own. It sounds amazing for me that I have taken some challenging task to bless and beautify them with modern touch. My subject matter presents my grandeur of thought depicting women with eternal hope of freedom and liberty replete with dramatic colors and romantic atmosphere.

Virtually this portrayal breeds elevated feelings of love and care which women need to strengthen and empower their spirits.

Sakina Akbar

Anal Haq, 2013 Mixed media on wasli • 13 x 5 Inches

Sakina Akbar graduated from the National College of Arts, Rawalpindi, with Honors in 2010.

She has participated in several group shows all over Pakistan and is the receipt of many awards.

Akbar is currently a Lecturer at Comsats Department of Architecture and Design Islamabad, she continues to conduct workshops and shares her understanding of both Art and Craft.

Akbar lives and works in Islamabad.

Memory is a child walking along seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things. Pierce Harris My work is about how I preserve memories, the way people and their relationship with me and their relationship with others as I see them appear in my mind when I think about them or even just hear their names. It’s like to a frivolous trip into childhood dreams that has some scary unspoken things through it. It is about freezing, preserving and ultimately sharing all those precious memories through visuals and various mediums.

Chloe Boden, Marian Barber, Sundas Rana Untitled, 2013 Mixed media • 21 x 16 Inches

Chloe Boden, Marian Barber, Sundas Rana Untitled, 2013 Mixed media • 21 x 16 Inches

Chloe Boden, Marian Barber, Sundas Rana Untitled, 2013 Mixed media • 21 x 16 Inches

Saad Ahmed, Sakina Akbar, Samreen Asif, Sundas Rana Untitled, 2013 Mixed media • 21 x 10 Inches

Chloe Boden, Marian Barber, Sakina Akbar Untitled, 2013 Mixed media • 15 x 12 Inches

Red & White Honey is red, Sugar is yellow Yellow is white, yellow is sunny Yellow is yellow mummy Glowy and flowy I am no yellow I am no white I am so red I am no flowy I am no glowy What do I want?

She cried and sighed Quite with fear Fear and despair What do you want?

Red, red and red and red Hunny wants it all red Red is gloomy Red is stingy You see mummy White is joy White is no whine White is so shine White is all whiskey and wine Mummy amused to see the gloom Redness of eyes within the white Oh Red and White My Red and White You are my sight Sundas Rana

Marian Barber My Red and White, 2013 Watercolor and gouache on paper • 12 x 10 Inches

Saad Ahmed I am so Red, 2011 Photo transfer • 18 x 12 Inches

Sundas Rana Honey is Red, Sugar is Yellow, 2013 Mixed media • 21 x 15 Inches

I want I want I want All Ms. Hunny use to chant “I want, I want, I want” She made this lovely list of all the slick And chanted loud and clear and more and more List was long but mummy gave her all Yipeeeeee With all the earthly deathly stuff Hunny created a fallacy of her own A fallacy of a Perfect fantasy In her fantasy, She desired for perfection and affection She desired for more and more, Until she could not take it anymore Mummy mummy I am funny I make bunny and hunny cry and got it all wrong Ms. Hunny, Ms. Hunny come out of ur wants “I want, I want, I want” People chanting in chorus “I want, I want, I want” She hated them for their wants Their eyes were like a swollen want And they chanted I want I want I want till Hunny’s heart was empty of wants.

Good good hunny now what do u want?

Asked her mummy Aah she sighed Life is funny Sundas Rana

Chloe Boden The Yellow Storm, 2013 Water color and graphite on paper • 12 x 9 Inches

Participating Artists

Chloe Boden

Marian Barber

Saad Ahmed

Sundas Rana

Samreen Asif

Sakina Akbar

Satrang Gallery Asma Rashid Khan- Director Mamoona Riaz- Gallery Registrar Sahyr Sayed- Gallery Assistant

satrang.ish@serena.com.pk |

facebook.com/SatrangGallery | UAN: 111-133-133 EXT: 5234

Design & Produced @ TOPICAL (info@topicalprinters.com)