This was pointed out by organisers of an exhibition titled Lumieres arranged at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA). The theme of the show brought attention to the importance of light for art. Works made by six female artists identified as Marium Agha, Farida Batool and Risham Syed from Pakistan, Safaa Eruass from Morocco, Christine Ferrer and Genevieve Gleize from France have been put on display. Supported by the French Embassy in Pakistan and PNCA, the project was conceptualised over a year ago amid various lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Risham Syed collected ordinary images to tell stories in her work. “These for me are symbols, symbolic of the present times. I turn these symbols into paintings, which is a deliberate act of participation. Now this ‘the painting’ I juxtapose with objects that are reminiscent of a certain time in history. Past provides a context for viewing the present. Curious objects, symbols of class, power, taste, knowledge and advancement in an ordinary arrangement mimic the museum curio cabinets creating historic fictional narratives,” she said.
