Shahzad Zar is perhaps the last young artist to have
been guided by that man of the arts, s. Ali imam. When the artist first
approached imam he was in his teens, a self-taught young man struggling to
teach himself. The art of collage, mixing organic materials and paint. Imam was
interested in Shazad’s work and in his determination to be an artist. He sent
him away with advice and suggestions and monitored his progress from then on.
Four years later imam felt the artist was ready for an exhibition at the prestigious
indus gallery and Shahzad Zar was launched with a solo exhibition in 1999.
How
did you get interested in art?
I am a self taught artist, started my work with the
inner inspiration & learned to express myself through paint &
calligraphy on natural preserved leaves under supervision of Asian legend, Ali
Imam, founder of Indus Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan.
What kinds of art you do?
I started my work using preserved leaves to paint my
colors for calligraphic work, now I am tuned into oriental figurative thematic
paintings using different mediums, including pastels, paints, collage and so
on.
What and who inspired you to start?
Ali Imam, gave me an Artistic eye to see & a
realization to express myself. I have worked with leading artists in Pakistan
with shows in almost all leading art galleries & venues in Pakistan &
abroad.
What problems did you face to achieve your career?
I think there is a dire need to promote young
upcoming artists, as a new artist in the field, I have faced problems that most
of the time, discourage young artist, and to confront with those problems, I
myself created a Youth Art Circle, known as Zer's Youth Art Circle @ ZAC
studio, which promoted many youngsters who are now well known in art community
in Pakistan.
What
are results of your achievements?
As I mentioned earlier, I have struggled for myself
and other young artists, now I am known for the artist who use to work with
leaves and young talent.
What are your plans for the future?
Live my life as an art promotor.
2011 JI’S ART GALLERY, KARACHI
2008 ZENANI ART GALLERY
2007 CLIFTON ART GALLERY, KARACHI.
2005 CLIFTON ART GALLERY, KARACHI.
2003 JI’S ART GALLERY, KARACHI.
2001 INDUS GALLERY , KARACHI
2000 NOMAD ART GALLERY, ISLAMABAD
1999 INDUS GALLERY, KARACHI.
TWO MAN SHOW
2002 NOMAD ART GALLERY, ISLAMABAD
PRIVATELY DISPLAYED WORK
2004 DISPLAYED WORK 3’.0 X 6’.0 (DUBAI)
2003 NAME OF ALLAH (6’.0 X 16’.0)
1999 FAISAL BANK, KARACHI.
GROUP SHOW
2006 MOMART GALLERY , KARACHI
2006 KUNJ ART GALLERY, KARACHI
2006 THE ART GALLERY , KARACHI
2005 ALLIANCE FRANCAISE, KARACHI
2005 LOUVERS ART GALLERY, KARACHI
2004 BAHRAIN ART CENTRE,(BAHRAIN)
2004 ISLAMIC CULTURE CENTRE (LONDON)
2004 CLIFTON ART GALLERY, KARACHI
2004 UNICORN ART GALLERY , KARACHI
2004 INT’R NATIONAL GALLIGRAPHY
EXHIBITION AL-HAMRA, LAHORE
2003 JI’S ART GALLERY , KARACHI
2003 8TH NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF VISUAL
ART , ISLAMABAD
2002 ROSHNI P.A.C.C. , KARACHI
2002 JAHANZAIB ART GALLERY , KARACHI.
2002 MOMART GALLERY , KARACHI
2001 NATIONAL MUSEUM , KARACHI.
2001 NOMAD ART GALLERY , ISLAMABAD
2000 5TH NATIONAL EXHIBITION , ISLAMABAD
2000 THE ART GALLERY , ISLAMABAD
1999 ART COUNCIL , KARACHI
MY WORK IS
.....
Mixed Media on Paper
(
Acrylic, Ink, Pencel, Print Water colour , Paper,Collage)
Pakistan Art - Nigaah Report
Symbolic Creations by Shahzad Zar at JI
Art Gallery
The wedding ceremony is one such
important rite of passage in the Subcontinent and it is one that is loaded with
symbols. Painter Shahzad Zar recently held a show at JI Gallery, in Karachi ,
titled Symbolic Creations, which showed his recent body of work that celebrates
those very wedding festivities and the symbols that are employed throughout the
ceremonies.
Weddings in the Subcontinent are and
always were huge productions. “Since the time of the Mughals to now, the
wedding is the time to rejoice, to enjoy henna, music, sweets, and finery,”
explains the artist, who is still a bachelor, which perhaps explains his
fascination with weddings. Shahzad’s mentioning of the Mughals at the
exhibition resonated immediately, as it became apparent that the painter’s
style and motifs were derived from the Miniature tradition. Elaborate borders
and backgrounds composed of vegetal and geometric designs, along with brides being
the central focus are what give these pieces the likeness to Miniatures. The
elephants are a reoccurring motif in Shahzad’s paintings, because the elephant
“…is not just a part of the Subcontinent and its history, but it was a symbol
of wealth and status. You can say that the elephant of before, is like the
4-wheeler of today”.
During last decade’s ‘time of plenty’,
the wedding became more of a time when families of both the bride and groom
seemed to compete to out-spend, out-party, and out-dress one another. Symbols
of wealth and status took on new precedence and unbelievable frequency,
bringing industries related to weddings immeasurable wealth, and bringing
families more worries and burdens.
However, Shahzad’s paintings showed the
happier and colorful side of a wedding. These paintings are actually mixed
media, with “…gold leaf, silver leaf, pen, pencil, acrylic paint, oil paint,
and collage techniques are all employed.” The intricate backgrounds and borders
were inspired by the henna that brides and women close to both the bride and
groom apply to their hands and feet. And some of those backgrounds were actual
remnants of wall paper- perhaps symbolic of the redecorating that occurs at the
homes of the bride and the groom, ahead of a wedding.
Like the Mughal Miniature, the female
form takes center stage, with the bride being the subject of many of these
pieces. “I focus on the Eastern bride this time. Notice the clothing and the
jewelry”, explains Shahzad. Despite the finery and the details with which the
brides are shown, they lack facial features- making the figures perhaps more
universal- that any girl can imagine herself as the bride shown. One painting
that stands out shows the bride perhaps at her Mehndi/Sangeet ceremony, dressed
in the traditional colors of yellow green and shows the henna painted on her
palms in the traditional manner. One would think the actual wedding and giving
away of the bride are the climactic points of a marriage celebration in
Pakistan , but instead it is the Mehndi ceremony, a ceremony with the most
number of traditions, rituals, and the most participatory for friends and
family members. It is also the most abundant with symbols.
Often this is the ceremony when the
elders from the two families exchange gifts for the bride and groom, with great
pomp and circumstance, hoping to not only make one another happy, but to show
one another the fine taste, the wealth, and the large hearts that they possess.
As for the younger generation, this ceremony is party-like, with food, music,
and many other young people to mingle with, perhaps giving rise to another
wedding in the future.
Symbolic Creations was a body of work
that celebrated more than just the festive rite of passage of marriage. In
itself, the show was a marriage between the Mughal Miniature and contemporary
art.
Articles:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150163573448200
Websites links:
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E-mail:
shahzad_zer@yahoo.com
shahazadzer@gmail.com
http://imanartshowcase.blogspot.hu/2012/07/interwiew-with-shahzad-zar-artist.html
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