A solo art show by Safwan Bashir titled ‘ABD – A Blessed Devotee’ concluded here Tuesday at Gallery 6 jointly curated by Dr. Arjumand Faisel and Irfan Gul Dahri. The exhibition showed the brilliance in which Safwan has painted the messages of Quranic verses in his peculiar and unique way, which is both highly symbolic and also iconic miniature work. The artworks are distinguished not only by their large sizes but also the powerful concepts that are presented with meaningful vocabulary that is well executed and presented in brilliant compositions with utmost details. With the quality of work, one can predict that Safwan has great potential to become one of the prominent artists of the country, said the organizers. The Curator, Irfan Gul Dahri said ‘A curious mind is like a flexible container filled with questions and puzzles, always trying to connect the dots and figure out the possibilities that the universe has to offer. It holds enough courage to recognize the flaws and weaknesses within itself and the outer world. It is aware that for moving forward in search of truth, one needs to revisit the long dark nights of the past and identify the fake idols and demons it has been constructing. It understands the nature of void within and develops a vision to see beyond the mirage and analyze the true nature of its opponent. Gradually it begins to understand that what is being portrayed and perceived may not be true but it may carry some essence of the truth. So, it waits patiently to align itself with the universe, which then communicates through dreams, revelations, riddles and cues. These inspirations fill its heart with contentment and belief. The reward it has been waiting for, miraculously awakens its soul and this is where the journey begins – as it happened with Safwan’. The artist, Safwan Bashir, discussing this experience stated ‘In my active search, I came across verses from the Quran that gave me answers to the key questions and allayed my misunderstandings and anxieties. For me, this was like understanding the divine light – The God’. Dr. Arjumand Faisel said, ‘It is a two years long project of Safwan Bashir – a blessed devotee. You will find a young lean artist, trying to connect the dots and working patiently with the divine inspiration. The works reflect on the themes of belief, misconceptions, humanity, environment, suffering, rewards and the Divine. He observes and analyzes the ways how everything contributes to form the shape and nature of others. His highly symbolic and iconic miniatures take their inspiration from the Holy book ‘Quran’, its interpretations, social constructs and human behaviors.’ Safwan added, ‘For me the divine circle is now everything, without which I cannot imagine life. He firmly believes that it is this light that brings control and discipline in the universe and keeps humans away from immorality and inhuman and ugly activities. If this light – the light of God, does not touch any human then they get trapped in cubes of darkness. Their souls become imprisoned to dark desires and wishes and the darkness prevails’.