Photography as a form of artistic expression has, of late, acquired an elevated status of its own. While images created through drawing, painting or sculpture may invoke more awe because of the assumption that painstaking procedures and a ‘one of a kind’ quality is inherent in such a work of art, it has to be acknowledged that photography now offers myriad possibilities of self expression, and in the rush of modern life, offers artists a quicker and more practical way of capturing meaningful images that can have far reaching implications and a significant impact on viewers. Thus photography is now being offered as a part of the ‘fine arts’ discipline in many contemporary art schools, and students are given an opportunity to explore the various possibilities inherent in this medium.

An exhibition of photographs by three young but committed artists was held recently at Lahore’s Nairang Galleries.

Titled ‘Dark room’, it displayed the works of Momin Zafar, Nashmia Haroon and Aliya Bilgrami.

Zafar is a graduate of Karachi’s Indus Valley School of Art, and is also a talented actor; having given a brilliant performance in the musical Chicago that was enacted in Karachi and Lahore in the recent past. He is a prolific young artist with an eye for detail as well as a sensitive concern for the underprivileged which is exemplified in some of his earlier photographs His present work on display is however, not people specific but attempts to capture patterns and textures in a nonetheless symbolic way.

Focusing on rusted iron objects in the Gadani Port junkyard, he gives new meaning to discarded items in a sensitive and original way. Colours, lines and textures are captured in an almost painterly way, so that at times it feels that one is viewing a painting, rather than a photograph. While earth tones and bright ochres etched with blacks tend to prevail, there is a plethora of multi colours which suffuse many of the photographs. Thus ‘junk’ becomes beautiful and conveys something symbolic in the context of the local environment.

Nashmia Haroon, a graduate of National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore, is another committed photographer who finds meaning and inspiration in the local environment. Her black and white photography made a poignantly meaningful comment on Pakistan through a set of images that she had captured on August 14, our country’s independence day. Pictures of decorated buildings taken from unusual angles and highlighting the national flag as it fluttered amidst menacing structures made a deep impact on viewers. She had used a number of photographic techniques to create the desired images and had used the limited palette of black and white to advantage.

Aliya Bilgrami, the third participant of this talented trio, had a ‘less is more’ approach to her work, and had focused on the simple but mystical images of a full moon in a darkened sky. Using the technique of long range exposure, she had created a series of small black and white photographs that showed the transition of the moon through various time spans, and had tried to capture the incandescent glow of light and movement in a dark background.

Thus an exploration of the immediate environment and the desire to make a meaningful comment through objects that one takes for granted, seemed to be the underlying thrust of the photographic exhibition. One looks forward to viewing the future endeavours of this young crop of artists who are likely to encounter more food for thought in their quest for making a meaningful contribution through their expertise in a now popular medium of expression.

{Source: Dawn}