Vibrant forms

Nadeem Zuberi

Unique and individual expressions of human faces portrayed through creative ceramics works by artist Shazia Zuberi in a solo exhibition at Chawkandi Gallery, Karachi, fascinated the viewers.

This ‘Deosai’ series collection reflected Nature’s beauty. Inspired by the landscapes of The Deosai National Park which is located between Kharmang, Astore and Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan; Deosai Plains are second highest plateaus in the world and it is well known for its rich flora and fauna.

This area is full of colours and life in the form of wild flowers, butterflies, lakes and mountains that has been in habitat by humans before us millions of years ago.

Shazia explored the Mother Nature in her artworks by transforming different colours and shapes of Deosai in her works. The soil of Deosai is also full of pleasing hues of various colours that mainly captivated the artist. These shades also revealed in her works and attracted viewers also. The human faces have attractive and unique features other than their unusual colour combinations. Charming ceramics works depicting skulls with clear facial features in light and dark tones of green, blue, brown and ochre have their own character and story to tell.

The colours complemented the sculptures in a visually-appealing presentation. These art pieces were a manifestation, a path that leads to knowledge and fulfilment for the artist.

The ceramics works captured the artist’s imagination. Each composition of the works revealed creativity, vision and concept created by the artist and a marvellous blend of smart revelation from her vision. And thus she enhanced the natural beauty of colour and clay in a fantasy way.

She hoped that people would feel the same way she do when experiencing nature’s beauty around her and therefore she appreciated and showed her love and care about nature through her works.

“‘Deosai’ series is firstly and overtly about acknowledging our landscape in its entirety; its beauty and simplicity; its nurture. Secondly this series highlights our dependency on our land. We have co-existed with nature for thousands of years, proof of existence are etched in our landscapes; drawings and carvings are embedded on mountain surfaces and rocks, reminding us that we are not the first to walk across our landscape. Through these inscriptions, we get a glimpse of the past; our past. We are intrinsically connected to this land,” said Shazia Zuberi in a ststement.

“This series acknowledges that very reliance between us and nature. Once we acknowledge and recognize the importance of the symbiotic relationship between nature and us – we can begin to realize and safeguarding our mutually beneficial bond. We can begin to determine who we are,” she added.

Thus revolving around the themes of devotion, connection, nature, beauty and an eternal quest for recognition she tried to mould her compositions in ceramics hoping that it would be easier for her to express her heartfelt emotions about Nature and its beauty.

This was a vibrant exhibition of brilliant sculptures and intriguing forms which were reflective of Nature. [email protected]