Daily Times

We all know that COVID-19 made our lives a bit different and adjusting to the new normal is slowly taking place.

In this pandemic, the Ejaz art gallery and team E-exhibition took the initiative to host an art exhibition with more than 90+ artists from around the world.

The Art Influx is co-curated by Mahaa who is an independent curator based in Lahore, said that the idea of this exhibition formed when COVID-19 occurred and the lockdown was imposed around the world. Ms, Hira Siddiqui came up with the idea of curating a virtual exhibition to end the depression phase which emerging artists were feeling due to lockdown, as all the exhibitions, art events, and galleries were closed. While, Ms, Umnah and Robella joined hands and these four talented curators planned the entire exhibition. The exhibition had a guest of senior artists like Imran Qureshi, Ali Kazmi, Rm Naeem, Irfan Gul, and Saeed Akhtar who attend the event, while Salima Hashmi inaugurated virtually and encouraged the artists with their kind words.

Besides, Ramzan of the Ejaz Art Gallery helped and assist us in this difficult time to encourage the young talented artists of Pakistan to stay positive and motivated. Ramzan said that, ‘Technology is shaping how businesses operate in today’s world, especially during this time of the coronavirus pandemic and we are aware that the worldwide lockdown poses implications for everyone’

Besides, Ramzan of the Ejaz Art Gallery helped and assist us in this difficult time to encourage the young talented artists of Pakistan to stay positive and motivated. Ramzan said that “Technology is shaping how businesses operate in today’s world, especially during this time of the coronavirus pandemic and we are aware that the worldwide lockdown poses implications for everyone.

However, we believe it is essential to play our part within the broader art community and support the artists. By partnering with “E-Exhibition- Art Influx,” a promising initiative that tackles the problem of limited social interaction, we believe we can collectively help many artists.”

While the exhibition showcased a variety of work in terms of mediums and colour selections. Furthermore, the working artist displayed is made in quarantine with very limited art material and show their feelings of the on-going situation through their art. The most prominent pieces of art were Maham Ali Malik’s work which is based on the beauty of horses and Faiza Gelani, Anum Shaheen’s work which portrays the art alluringly with a brilliant concept.

Another artist Fatima Khalid from Indonesia said that her work is about how technology creating Tangible Ethical Dilemmas. Fatima’s work revolves around the specific features of bodies, observed by CCTV cameras and the roles of bodies as the targets of surveillance, that may create several tangible ethical dilemmas. At a day to day level CCTV observes bodies and it gives great importance to the specific features of the human body. At the same time bodies do disappear and are represented electronically by the camera monitors, as the images are recorded by the computer system processing data. The roles of bodies are, as the targets of surveillance or translated version of disembodied information, however, are not inconsequential, but may give space to several tangible ethical dilemmas. Her body of work would be more towards the surveillance system, which is responsible for expanding social inequalities and reproduced regimes of control. This exhibition is exhibiting more than 130 artworks and it will be on display till the 7th of August, 2020.

The writer is an independent curator based in Lahore. She can be reached at mahaaashraf27@gmail.com