In the Realm Of Light

OVERVIEW
MONOGRAPH
E CATALOGUE
INSTALLATION VIEWS
OPENING NIGHT & ARTIST TALK
WALKTHROUGH

CURATORIAL NOTE

Mussarat Mirza ranks amongst the most accomplished painters of Pakistan today.

Based out of Sukkur, her prolific career spans over five decades. The Urdu word ‘therao’ has been used to describe her often large-scale canvases. The term suggests a slowing down, a spaciousness in time and spirit. In her own words, Mirza “uses the tools of landscape and abstraction towards (her) own purposes.” Har ja tu – her retrospective – brings together for the first time, works rendered in oils between 1958 and 2021. The exhibition follows an unfolding of light-worlds in her art. In so doing, it suggests an autonomous direction within contemporary aesthetic philosophies.

“A painting is not just in itself, ‘a work of art.’
It is a spiritual medium, and can convey the way of Light (nur).”

(Mirza, 2021)

MONOGRAPH

A comprehensive monograph celebrates this master-artist in book form.
Published on the occasion of her retrospective at Koel Gallery, Har ja tu – the monograph – includes all artwork on display at the exhibition, as well as those which could not be accessed for the show. The book also includes representative samples of Mirza’s beautiful watercolours and drawings.

Her light-filled images are nested in reflection.
The book gently builds community around this solitary, iconic figure, with a research-based introduction by Maha Malik (exhibition curator), and authorial texts from Salima Hashmi, Quddus Mirza (both have written extensively on Mirza). Notes, in the way of beloved windows to her art, are shared by fellow-artists, academics and writers.

The book may be held in hand as a healing presence.
It carries the temper and energy, or taseer, of Mussarat Mirza’s life-world.
It showcases the artist’s exceptional journey with paint, a gift for collectors and students alike.
It is imagined as historic text, as archival document for generations to come.

Specifications:
Cover: Hardbound, cloth.
Print length: 157 pages.
Language: English (with selected texts in Urdu)

To reserve a copy, please contact:
gallerykoel@gmail.com

Monograph Preview