Being And Becoming | Tanzara Gallery

"Tanazara  Gallery  recently  displayed  the  works  of  American-Pakistani  contemporary  artist,  Zaam  Arif.  The  artist  resides  in  Houston,  Texas,  but  has  brought  his  current  series  of  work  to  Pakistan.  

Noshi  Qadir  describes  Zaam  Arif’s  work  in  detail,  “  Each  work  is  a  deep  exploration  of  the  ontological  existence  of  the  human  by  the  societal  systems.  He  confronts  It  with  a  penetrating  interpretation  of  human  nature,  transforming  it  into  a  visceral  reality.  The  selves  who  are  distanced  from  their  own  selves,  those  that  go  beyond  the  balanced  harmony,  those  who  are  detached  from  the  law  of  completeness  and  the  bodies  that  differ,  from  the  main  movement  of  the  artists’  aesthetic  language,  For  the  artist  the  core  centre  is  always  the  human  the  difficulties  that  he  faces  in  his  adventures  on  earth,  are  worthy  of  being  conveyed  onto  the  painting  language.”

Zaam’s  21  oil  on  canvas  paintings  exhibited,  explore  the  human  condition,  based  on  the  artists  personal  understanding  as  well  as  his  insight  and  observations  based  upon  his  study  of  classical  literature  and  psychology  through  his  paintings  that  are  so  emotional  and  moving  that  they  leave  mark  on  the  viewer.  Zaam  does  not  shy  away  from  touching  upon  darker  themes  and  harsher  realities  that  affect  a  lot  of  us  today.  

The  colour  palette,  medium,  style  and  technique  all  convey  the  artist’s  thoughts  effectively.  The  somber  shades  of  browns,  blacks  and  beige  create  an  aura  of  melancholy.  There  is  something  serious  and  intriguing  about  his  pieces.  The  men  he  paints  appear  lonely  and  even  depressed.  The  hunched  shoulders,  the  vacant  eyes  and  the  blank  expression  make  these  men  look  distant  and  disturbed,  but  they  don’t  seem  unapproachable  though,  perhaps  because  we  can  all  see  a  little  bit  of  ourselves  in  them.    The  bold  brushstrokes  and  play  with  light  and  shadows  is  worth  mentioning.  

Zaam’s  work  shows  the  artist’s  observation  and  intense  insight  into  the  human  condition  that  plagues  so  many  of  us  these  days.  The  isolation  and  alienation  from  the  world  around  us  has  brought  out  a  strange,  but  relatable,  need  for  distance  and  boundaries,  that  have  a  serious  impact  on  the  mental  health  for  many."