Distant Fields
Distant Fields is the 9th solo exhibition in my oeuvre and among them 5th solo exhibition with the KOEL Gallery. The exhibition comprises a selection of my Art practice produced in the past 3 years between 2019-2021. Literature somehow gives me a conceptual drive to create my visuals. It sets the plot for my works. Through this stance I find that the work is already staged before its creation. It’s like a storyteller retelling the story and from a painter’s perspective reimagining the picture in visual vocabulary, this way I am connected with the oral, written and visual tradition of the artistic sensibilities. Most of the works in the exhibition have some sort of layer of South Asian Literature, whether its poetry or literary prose, for instance, clouds have come from Kavi Kalidasa Meghaduta which means cloud messenger and butterflies (Titliyan) and fireflies (Jugnoo) that are used as an emblem of childhood by many poets, I painted them on Takhti (wooden tablet) that augment the idea of cherishing my childhood memories.
I used to write takhti in my primary school as it was an essential practice in schools to write on Takhti (wooden tablet). The repetition of flowers in the Fasl e Gul series, in my opinion, is like the repetition of letters that I used to write in my childhood. It was sort of a ritual to write a takhti everyday and clean and coat it with Multani Matti, like a mandala or rangoli ritual is being performed everyday and dismantled everyday. The repetition of writing the same letters was to get perfection over the alphabet/language, but besides that I think there is a spiritual side to it, we use to recite and repeat verses everyday without realizing its repetition for our spiritual gain.
Aqeel Solangi
WORKS
The Pink Umbrella 2019
71 x 55 ½ cm – 22×28 in –
Acrylic and Oil on canvas
(Exhibited with Pakistan Art Forum Lahore 2019)
To the Moon, with longing 2020
34x 52cm – 13 ¼ x 20 ½ in. (Diptych) – Graphite on paper
The Shared Umbrella 2020
26.5×34.5 cm – 10.5 x 13.5 in. Acrylic and graphite on paper
Narcissus Reborn 2019
60.5×72.5 cm / 24×28.5 in – Acrylic and Oil paint on canvas
The River 2020
20 x 76 cm – 8 x 30 in. Acrylic on canvas
The Half-opened Book 2020
23 ½ x 19 ¼ cm – 7 ½ x 9 ¼ in. Acrylic on Board
The Rainbow 2020
27 ½ x 27 ½ cm, 11 x 11 in – Acrylic on canvas
The Whispering Tree 2020
28×35 cm, 11×13 ¾ in. Acrylic, conte & graphite on
handmade paperboard
The Summer Palace 2014-20
10″ Dia. Acrylic & Gold leaf on paper
An Uncertain Night 2020
27 ½ x 27 ½ cm, 11 x 11 in – Acrylic on canvas
The Silver Umbrella 2020
27 ½ x 27 ½ cm, 10 ¾ x 10 ¾ in – Acrylic on canvas
Chandol (Bird) 2021 چنڊول
30 x 40 cm – 11 ¾ x 15 ¾ in.
Acrylic on canvas
An Anonymous Night 2017-21
50x 66cm /20×26 in – Acrylic and oil on canvas
Titliyoon Ka Des 2021 تِتلیوں کا دیس
19 x 32 ½ cm – 7 ½ x 12 ¾ in.
Acrylic on Takhti (wooden tablet)
JJugnuon Ka Des 2021 جُگنوؤں کا دیس
19 x 32 ½ cm – 7 ½ x 12 ¾ in. Acrylic
on Takhti (wooden tablet)
The Whispering Cloud 2021
20 ¼ x 33 ½ cm – 8 x 13 ¼ in
Acrylic and graphite on woodcut embossed on paper
The Bright Night 2021
20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in
Acrylic and graphite on woodcut ground
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 x 52 cm – 13 ¾ x 20 ½ in.
Woodcut with chine collé Edition length: 1/1
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 38 x 55 ½ cm – 15 x 22 in Woodcut with chine collé and graphite on Schoeller Durex paper
Edition length: 1/1
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 53 ½ cm – 14 x 21 in Woodcut
Edition length: 2
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 56 cm – 14 x 22 in Woodcut Embossed and graphite on paper
Edition length: 2
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 56 cm – 14 x 22 in Woodcut
Edition length: 4
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 56 cm – 14 x 22
in Woodcut Embossed on paper Edition length: 16
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 54 cm – 14 x 21 ¼ in
Woodcut Embossed and graphite on paper Edition length: 1/1
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 56 cm – 14 x 22 in Woodcut Embossed and graphite on paper
Edition length: 1/1
Fasl e Gul فَصلِ گُل 2021
Image size: 20 ¼ x 33 cm – 8 x 13 in Paper size: 35 ½ x 56 cm – 14 x 22 in
Woodcut Embossed and graphite on paper
Edition length: 1/1
The Starry Night 2021
16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8 ¼ in –
Linocut with hand coloring in acrylic
The Starry Night 2021
16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8 ¼ in –
Linocut with hand coloring in colored pencils and graphite
The Starry Night 2021
16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8 ¼ in –
Linocut with hand coloring in Lyra metallic and colored pencils
The Starry Night 2021
16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8 ¼ in –
Linocut with hand coloring in colored pencils and graphite
The Starry Night 2021
16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8 ¼ in – Linocut with hand coloring in
colored pencils and graphite
The Starry Night 2021
16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8 ¼ in –
Linocut with hand coloring in acrylic and graphite
The Starry Night 2021
(13/30) 16 x 21 cm – 6 ¼ x 8
¼ in – Linocut (Edition of 30)
The Moonrise III 2021
10 x 15 ¼ cm – 4 x 6 in.
Graphite and woodcut embossing on paper
The Moonrise IV 2021
10 x 15 ¼ cm – 4 x 6 in.
Colored pencils, graphite and woodcut embossing on paper
The Moonrise 2021
10 x 15 ¼ cm – 4 x 6 in.
Acrylic on paper
The Floating Cloud 2021
23 x 23 cm – 9 x 9 in.
Acrylic on canvas
The Drifting Light 2021
12 ½ x 15 ½ cm – 5 x 6 in.
Acrylic on paper
Lightning 2021 وڄٍ
14 ¾ x 31 cm – 5 ¾ x 12 ¼ in. Egg
tempera on traditional gesso panel
INSTALLATION VIEWS
OPENING NIGHT