You And I
Anum Lasharie and Noormah Jamal You And I Faraar Gallery March 1 - March 15, 2017 Opening reception: Wed, March 1 5-8 pm
Faraar Gallery is pleased to present You And I, an exhibition of paintings by Anum Lasharie and Noormah Jamal. The show explores the painting tradition of portraiture toaddressideas of representation, identity, and belonging. In a time when we are constantly surrounded by pictures of people, Lasharie and Jamal offer us a slow and considered exploration of the internal and external landscape of a person.
Anum Lasharie’s paintingsaddress the anxiety of a social being byinvestigating the relationship between physical and mental comfort.She is keenly aware of how the environment around us can affect our peace of mind. External forces which are not in our control can change our behavior and self-image. In Lasharie’s paintings, these forces act on the figure to create moments of varying discomfort or unease.There are often clear demarcations between the figure and her world, suggesting a rift. The figure is revealed or hidden, perhaps embroiled in an internal struggle of visibility.
Noormah Jamal's figures want to be seen, though they might not be sure of how exactly.Even if they sometimes occupy the space of the canvas a little awkwardly, they still confront the viewer’s gaze quite directly. Caught between their quiet defiance and a simultaneous self-consciousness, her portraits are whimsical yet haunting. We can choose to flip through them casually, or allow ourselves to read into them to imagine the secret lives of the people depicted. We can choose to liken them to a series of photographs taken from different angles, a little like someone trying to take the perfect selfie.
Anum Lasharie lives and works in Lahore. She received her BFA with Honors from National College of Arts in 2013. She had her solo exhibition in Rohtas 2 Gallery in 2016. Other shows include Alhamra Art Gallery, Taseer Art Gallery, Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery and The Paint Bucket Gallery. She has been working as a curator for The Paint Bucket Gallery for almost three years and has curated several exhibitions with the gallery.
Noormah Jamal is from FATA and currently lives in Lahore, where she teaches art at Lahore Grammar School. She received her BFA with Honors in Miniature painting from National College of Arts in 2016. She has recently exhibited at The Paintbucket Gallery, Ejaz Gallery, and also in Dubai. Her work has been covered by Artnow, Herald, Dawn, Sunday Magazine, and others.