Artist Freedom | ArtChowk

"A  solo  show  at  Art  Chowk  gallery  displayed  the  work  of  Zahid  Hussain  Soomro.  Zahid  is  a  visual  artist  from  Shikarpur,  Sindh.  He  graduated  from  the  National  College  of  Arts,  Lahore.  He  is  known  for  creating  one-of-a-kind  pieces  with  beautiful  imagery,  by  weaving  multiple  meaning  and  stories  in  his  art,  and  creating  his  paintings  a  new  life.  

“I  use  visual  metaphors  in  my  paintings  that  creates  multiple  meanings  when  combined  in  even  a  single  of  art  to  create  high  creative  imagery  to  form  a  complete  piece.  I  play  with  my  paintings  on  a  plain  or  two-dimensional  surface  with  different  visually  attractive  and  identical  symbols  that  create  a  collage  of  different  metaphorical  concepts  to  give  a  diverse  experience  for  the  viewers  to  find.  Repetition  is  my  fundamental  preference.  I  use  geometric  symbols  and  patterns,  which  reoccur  repeatedly,  this  creates  depth  and  gives  my  paintings  a  three-dimensional  feel”.  
The  repetitive  patterns  are  soothing  to  look  at.  There  is  something  uniquely  calming  and  appealing  about  Zahid’s  work.  It  draws  the  viewer  in  immediately.  His  colour  palette  is  diverse  and  varied.  In  some  he  uses  monochromatic  colours  and  in  others,  bright  and  vivid  colours,  like  neon  yellow,  bright  red,  electric  blue  are  used  to  catch  the  attention  of  viewers.  

A  wonderfully  joyful  piece  shows  the  canvas  divided  into  three  unequal  segments,  the  largest  one  starting  at  the  top  and  as  it  gets  to  the  bottom  the  portion  gets  narrower.  In  between  are  birds,  which  seem  to  be  sitting  on  a  rod/wire.  There’s  something  so  beautiful  about  seeing  black  birds,  perhaps  crows,  set  against  this  joyful  background.  Birds  are  often  used  as  symbols  of  freedom  and  there’s  no  doubt  that  there  is  something  distinctly  liberating  about  Zahid’s  work.  

Another  equally  interesting  piece  shows  tiny  little  teapots,  coming  together  to  make  a  larger  teapot.  The  repetitive  patterns  are  soothing  and  eye  catching,  despite  being  done  in  muted  shades  of  grey  and  black.

Zahid’s  work  is  a  treat  and  undoubtedly  different  than  what  one  usually  sees."