Art Makes Borders Irelevent

KARACHI: Culture, traditions, modern technology, and spiritualism were all blended together, as the Goethe Institute Karachi presented an arts exhibition, bringing together the artworks of Pakistan, Germany and Bangladesh.

One could feel the atmosphere of all three countries in the gallery of Goethe Institute, as Pakistani, German and Bangladeshi artists brought their artistic genius under one roof.

One corner of the hall displayed the creations of Werner Tubke, a senior German artist, with the theme ‘A place in the sea’, throwing light on the voyages of discovery by Europeans. In another corner, artwork of Pakistani creators shed light on the traditions of the country and many innovations.

The contributions from Bangladesh mostly focused on spirituality and ‘old time gods’.

The artists presented different ideas using the same language that is art. The exhibition explains how the combination of artworks from different cultures manifests into something that has no borders.

All the artists mostly used similar techniques like lithography, silkscreen, screen print and digital.

Riffat Alvi, who runs the VM Art Gallery, and has contributed works of Pakistani artists in the exhibition, while talking to Daily Times hoped that the visitors would appreciate the exhibition.

“We have tried to present contemporary artwork of three countries to art lovers and hopefully, they would enjoy it a lot,” she said.

She said the exhibition not only featured senior artists but has given space to some blooming ones as well, and their work speaks for itself.

The Pakistani artists whose artworks were on display included Meher Afroze and Usman Ghauri.

The Bangladeshi and German artists included Shishir Battacharjee, Mohammad Kibria, Rashid Amin, Werner Tubke, Arnulf Rainer, Mahbbb and Karl Otto.