by Muskan Fatima
SRINAGAR: Government Arts Emporium Srinagar hosted an exhibition of artwork produced by engineers Iftikhar Wani and Shazia Basharat. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri inaugurated the two-day painting exhibition.
Shazia Basharat, an engineer by profession, discovered her love for art during the lockdown period. This being her first exhibition, she looks forward to the journey ahead. ‘Art has changed my outlook on life and brought immense peace to me. Just like in art, sometimes in life things do not turn out exactly how we had imagined but just some touches can make it look better. I learnt from painting that there is always time to change, just that it should come from within you,’ said Shazia. Some of her paintings explored the beauty of nature, including ‘Aatish-e-Chinar,’ which depicts the beauty of the Autumn season, and ‘Beginnings,’ which depicts the beauty of the early bloom of almond flowers in Spring.
Although there is a diversity in her artworks, two of Shazia’s paintings showcased Sufi whirling dervishes. “In my understanding, these artists who whirl around at some point find that everything is blur around them, and when these worldly things become a blur for them, that is when they connect to God. They even try to dance on their toes as if disconnected from the worldly affairs,” said Shazia.
Iftekhar Ahmad Wani, on the other hand, is a self-taught artist who worked as a marketing manager and industrial marketing expert in Saudi Arabia. He started painting in 2012 and feels that art comes naturally to him. He mainly uses Kashmir as his inspiration for his paintings. One of his paintings shows the mesmerizing beauty of Khanqah-e-Moula. ‘My father was an engineer by profession, and he used to take me to Khanqah as a kid. After he passed away, I started painting those places. It is challenging to paint Shehr e Khas, but there is a poetic atmosphere to Kashmir” said Iftekhar.
Dr Jahangeer Aslam Makhdoomi, who is an Oncologist and an Artist, said, ‘I am happy to see that people are coming with their work. I hope this creates a chain reaction and encourages others as well, especially the youth. The paintings of Iftekhar Wani took me back to my native place, Downtown, and refreshed my memories.’
One of the onlookers named Unis Saleem commented, ‘Each painting seems to be telling a story. For a person like me who always dwells in paintings, visiting this exhibition has been a piece of solace as well as a thought-provoking experience.’
Another onlooker, Rukhsaar Manzoor, said, ‘These paintings bring out a feeling of home in me. For all of us, Kashmir is home.”
