Komail Aijazuddin

Paintings by Komail Aijazuddin

Komail Aijazuddin is a visual artist and writer, whose practice includes drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation work. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Studio Art from New York University and a Master of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute. A strong influence on Aijazuddin’s art is the figurative work of Hungarian-Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil, considered today a pioneer of modern Indian art and one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early twentieth century.

Drawing from his exploration of both the iconography of Shia Islam and the art of Catholicism, Aijazuddin works in the visual vocabulary of traditional religious art. Hie art is the outcome of the internal journey he has undertaken and includes paintings, illuminations, scrolls, altar pieces and votive objects, and the medium of gold leafing. Through these mediums, Aijazaddin investigates contemporary ideas of religion, belief and worship, divinity, statehood, and one’s sense of belonging and personal faith.

Komail Aijazuddin’s 2015 collection, entitled “Grace in Hand”, was initially shown at the Khaas Gallery in Islamabad. For these simplified works, he used silhouettes rather than detailed figures and, instead of complicated background patterns, used solid fields of color with washed-out highlights or gold leafing.

Aijazuddin’s solo exhibition, entitled “Secret History”, was held in 2019 at the Canvas Gallery in Karachi. This collection consisted of life-sized canvases which theorized on a figurative tradition of Islamic art. Influenced by the Christian religious art of Giotto and Duccio, Aijazuddin’s employed the repetitive element of the halo and combined it with elements from traditional Mughal miniature paintings and medieval illuminated manuscripts. His lattice patterned backgrounds taken from the culture of Persia were executed with dry pigments, whose contrasting texture highlighted the images’ figures.

Note: An interesting 2018 discussion between Komail Aijazuddin and figurative artist Salman Toor, also from Lahore, on issues regarding their art practice can be found at the Herald’s online site located at: https://herald.dawn.com/news/1154032

Bottom Insert Image: Komail Aijazuddin, “Angry Icon”, 2018, Oil and Gold Leaf on Panel, 91.4 x 61 cm, Private Collection

Salman Toor

Untitled Oil on Canvas Works by Salman Toor

Salman Toor graduated from Pratt University in Brooklyn, New York with an MFA in Fine Arts. He has exhibited in multiple group shows ranging from Dubai, New York, Karachi and Lahore. An important part of his artwork is the influence of cultural lore and tradition.

His paintings narrate the story of the relationship between the elite and plebeians, the conflict of their lifestyles. and present the discord while managing to show the subtle similarities. His vision displays the complex diversity amid sub-continental pop culture and historical influences of Western and European ideals.

Note: a more extensive biography of Salman Toor can be found at: https://ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon.blog/2020/11/19/salman-toor/

Pakistan National Monument

Pakistan National Monument

The blooming flower-shaped Pakistan monument is located in the Shakarparian Hills and is spread over a total area of 2.8 hectares. – signifying the four provinces and three territories of Pakistan.The four main petals of the monument signifiy the four provinces (Punjab, Sinhd, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) whereas the three smaller petals represent the three territories (Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas).

Designed by the architect Arif Masoud, the inner walls of the petals are decorated with murals. The central platform is the shape of a five-pointed star which is surrounded by a water body. A metallic crescent surrounding the star is inscribed with sayings of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and poetry of Allama Iqbal.