Dostana, Online Virtual Art Exhibition
Artezaar.com’s artists have come together for the first time ever to celebrate 75 years of friendship between India & Pakistan. They are exhibiting their beautiful works of art in ‘Dostana’, an online virtual art exhibition, that you can enjoy on our website www.artezaar.com until August 31st. This lovely exhibition brings together a collection of paintings that showcases the beauty and culture of both countries. Each artist draws upon a variety of human experiences that we can all connect with in order to bring us closer together.
We at Artezaar.com believe that art connects people and countries, removes boundaries and celebrates diversity. Art is a universal language and so it has the power to bring nations together through its broad appeal. The goal of this exhibition is to celebrate the friendship, understanding and cultural exchange between Pakistan and India.
This online art exhibition is hosted using a 3D-virtual platform which allows visitors to browse through the paintings in a way that emulates strolling through a physical gallery in real life. You can zoom in, zoom out and view the paintings from various angles in high resolution. Each painting is accompanied by the artist’s description which allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the artwork. You can directly click and add any of the paintings in the virtual exhibition to your cart. View our Exhibition Video below
Celebrating Unity and Diversity:
This art exhibition features works of art that celebrate unity and diversity. ‘Cultural Unity’ is a stunning and vivid painting by Maria Munteanu. This painting was inspired by the colors and culture of India. According to Maria, ‘In a country as diverse and culturally vibrant as India, it is perhaps the common, simple expressions of color that hold together the multitudes of outlooks, lifestyles, and traditions.’ Maria has taken inspiration from the symbolism of colors in Indian culture, for instance, the deep orange of marigold flowers that are a part of major Hindu festivals, and the deep red hues that often adorn brides on their wedding days. This is an acrylic painting on canvas where the artist has used palette knife techniques to create some relief details.
We also have ‘Indian Bullfrog’, a fantastic painting by 14 year old Morvarid Mohammad that symbolizes unity within diversity. The painting depicts an Indian Bullfrog gently resting on a leaf. The Indian Bullfrog is a species that is native to multiple countries in the Indian subcontinent including India and Pakistan. Research has found that these bullfrogs have physical differences that depend upon the different countries and regions they are found in. This is symbolic of how the people of India and Pakistan may have their own differences but can still coexist in a way that allows both nations to flourish.
We have Sana Waqar Khan's 'Walls and Ladders' painting, which s a contemporary take on the congested interior spaces of old Lahore and Delhi. Two separate countries but a similar sense of community living depicted through texture and shapes. The title of the painting is a take on the popular board game called snakes and ladders which is again commonly played by most kids in India and Pakistan. With reference to the two cities, the artist is trying to comment on the idea of progress, infrastructure and urban development portraying success and prosperity in our societies.
Celebrating Human Bonds:
As social animals, humans greatly value the relationships we form with those around us. ‘Village Belles’ by Kavita Sriram is a gorgeous painting that celebrates the bond of friendship. This charming oil painting depicts rural women from Rajasthan, India wearing their traditional clothing and jewelry. Kavita was inspired by the deep friendship and bonds between these women, who often gather together to chat and catch up while they cook meals for their families. Friendships are often as strong and meaningful as familial bonds, and this painting honors that. The artist has used embellishments to make the women’s jewelry stand out beautifully. This painting also comes with an ebony brown frame.
‘Amma’ by Dipti Mulani is another exquisite painting that honors what is perhaps one of the deepest bonds a person can have, and that is the mother-child bond. According to Dipti, ‘A mother’s journey is truly remarkable, the hard work, love, positivity & above all - the determination to never give up.’ This acrylic painting is full of meaning and symbolism. The green silhouette of the child is filled with sketches of empowered women who have chosen different paths in their lives and have succeeded in fulfilling their dreams. The larger grey silhouette of the mother is filled with sketches of depicting the stereotypical societal roles that are often imposed upon women in India and even across the world. And yet, there is a bright orange light shining through the face of the mother’s silhouette, representing the hope and fire within her to make sure that her child prospers in life.
"Anu" by Zhanar Khamitova is a stunning portrait of a young girl who is getting married on this day. The bride seems to be looking into the future. Inspired by the beauty of a young girl and the vivid colors of that encompasses Indian weddings. Zhanar celebrates tradition, happiness and colors of the Sub Continent, and yet you can feel the excitement and nervousness in Anu's eyes, as she embarks on a new future.
Sanjna Nair's "Parvati Chamayam" is a beautiful piece, celebrating Goddess Parvati's upcoming marriage. The painting depicts a scene where Parvati is getting ready as a bride, along with her family and friends. It showcases the close bond the Parvati has with her sisters and friends.
Celebrating Spirituality:
There is a series of 3 paintings by Bushra Malik, expressing spirituality or Sufism in different ways. Her paintings are mainly inspired from geometry, pattern, and architecture. She has incorporated Sufi poetry along with architecture in her artwork that not only compliments the composition, but also pays homage to the Sufi poets and their struggles. It is a mode of expressing her viewpoint to the audience. Do check out 'Nukta', 'Mystic 1' and 'Mystic 2'.
'Raas Leela' by Renuka Sanjeev is a piece that celebrates the artist's love of Krishna. Raas Leela was played by Lord Krishna with his beloved Radha and the Gopi. Renuka has used colors of love, happiness, friendship, peace, and strength in this artwork. This painting explores the synthesis of culture with faith and beliefs. Radha and Krishna's love story is hailed as one of the greatest of all times.
And then there is Renu Shivam's beautiful oil painting 'Nirvana'. It shows a Buddhist monk in a peaceful state of Meditation. Nirvana is a highest stage of perfect peace and happiness in Buddhism. The ultimate goal for a Buddhist is to reach that state of enlightenment or nirvana and meditation is a key technique to achieve it. The path to enlightenment is attained by utilizing morality meditation and wisdom. Buddhists often meditate because they believe it helps awaken truth.
Shobha Shankar Iyer's beautiful painting 'Enlightenment' celebrates the Tibetan Buddha. The Buddha in the painting with chakras, white lotus, and the white dove. This is a symbolic representation of the universe with purity in the mind soul. "The floral pattern on the Buddha’s costume was the inspiration", says Shobha. "I wanted to bring together different forms of features like the dove, the white lotus, whilst giving the chakras the prime importance in the painting."
Celebrating Traditional Art Forms:
This art exhibition showcases a variety of traditional art forms. For example, this wonderful work of art called 'Qull' by Sadia Fahad showcases ornate Arabic calligraphy. A Modern calligraphy piece, this composition is the ultimate protection as three last Sura of the holy Quran the book of Guidance “Al ikhlaas, Al falak and Al Naas has been written with acrylic paints on a beautiful background that can protect us from any harm and black sight it makes our relationship stronger to our creator.
Arabic calligraphy began to emerge during the 6th century A.D. Around this time, early Muslims from different regions across the world were documenting The Holy Qur’an. The Arabic script was used for this purpose since the language represented a commonality between Muslim communities in different geographical regions. In Pakistani culture, Arabic calligraphy has played a major role over the years as a representation of the country’s religion. Intricate Arabic calligraphy can be seen across the walls of mosques as well as in artworks on household walls across Pakistan and many other Islamic countries.
Another traditional art form featured in this exhibition is that of Kollam. Kollam is a traditional Indian art form that originated in Southern India. It involves creating detailed geometric patterns and lines that are usually symmetrical in nature. Traditionally, Kollam patterns were created on floors using rice powder or other colorful powders. Nowadays, Indian artists are integrating Kolam patterns into wall art, clothing, accessories and much more. Our artist Kavita Sriram has creates a series of 3D Kollam wall art pieces by hand sculpting air-dry clay in her art piece 'Padi - Kollam Series'.
Celebrating "Who We Truly Are":
Sanjna Nair's funky art piece "Pink Chee-Tahs" celebrates our most endangered cat - the Cheetah. "I decided to give a twist to my cheetahs", says Sanjna. "They are PINK, and they totally stand out in the wild. And the wild is created in an abstract adaptation of a thick forest where these Cheetahs are resting in all the Glory. One of them is ready for a scuba dive by the lake, another one on the tree is fast asleep taking in her beauty sleep and the third one is keeping an eye open for her next prey. These are the 21st century Cheetahs who go all out and live their life as they wish to, not bothered about the society or what anyone would think."
Ruchi Arora's painting "BeYOUtiful' comes with the message of celebrating every little good thing about ourselves! "The peacock usually symbolizes beauty, and the feelings of love & attraction. It stands out amongst all other birds because of its beautiful train of feathers, " says Ruchi. "But I wanted the viewer to realize and celebrate every little element of themselves, and understand everything about them is simply beautiful"!
And then we have Sumedha's 'Meandering Thoughts II", a glorious Abstract painting, that honors all the thoughts we have as humans. "Our minds are bombarded with myriad emotions, sometimes pleasant and sometimes not." Says Sumedha. "It got me thinking how our minds are bombarded with myriad emotions, sometimes pleasant and sometimes not. But we can choose to see the beauty in everything around us. From watching the sun drowning in the horizon, to the scent of Earth when it rains. The dancing blade of grass in the wind, to the thundering sound of the sea when it hits the shore. There are many such beautiful moments that happen in our lives."
We at Artezaar.com are just loving all the art, the thoughts and feelings of our artists!
Overall, art helps us learn more about ourselves as well as others around us through its ability to transcend cultural barriers. It has been used throughout history as a means of communication with our fellow human beings across geographical locations because it allows us to express our feelings without having to rely on words or spoken language alone; this makes it easier for non-native speakers to understand what you're trying to convey without needing additional explanation.
If you would like to expand your horizons and gain a deeper perspective on life and the world, then you should check out our Virtual Online Art Exhibition "Dostana" and also browse through our extensive catalogue of artworks, paintings, accessories, etc. You can buy your favorite art piece easily by clicking 'Add To Cart', and proceeding to checkout!
Buy artworks and paintings online at Artezaar.com Online Art Gallery in Dubai UAE
Blog post written by Artezaar.com Guest Blogger Shreya Alagramam
