Mussarat Arif

 

Mussarat Arif is one of the women calligraphers of our time who uses “Kufi” form of calligraphy in her artwork with painterly touch. She produces calligraphic art governed by the principles of balance and proportion, rhythm and unity. She incorporates various patterns and geometric designs in her work which interwoven with the words of the Holy Quran emit a soul touching aura.

The journey of self-discovery motivated her to the creative world of painting. She preferred Kufi calligraphy using various types of mediums, including oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels. Her recent work in calligraphy appears in square and circular shapes, highlighted by bright red, green, blue, ochre and black.

The arcs and loops, ovals and circles, vertical and horizontal lines are used as designs in her artworks. The basic geometrical forms remain the same in all works. She chooses the most appropriate form she likes to use in her calligraphic paintings. She decorates her paintings with bright colors, glitters and Islamic motifs. She uses moon and “Takhtee” symbolically for unknown and known realities of this world. She also uses new elements such as patterns of “Ajrak” a local symbol in her calligraphy.

A few of the calligraphies are on wood also. Her love for wood goes back to her childhood when she regularly saw her father doing wood work at his workshop, where she grew with it and felt compelled to use it as a medium. And hence this time for her inner satisfaction she chooses wood for calligraphy. Various shapes of wood square, rectangle, circle and irregular enhances her calligraphic work and adds a unique new style to her basic form and design, and characteristic manner of expression.

Education:

*1992 BSc in home economics from Rana Laiquat Ali Government Collage for Women, Karachi.

*1996 Diploma in fine arts painting from Karachi school of arts.

Solo Shows

2011   Canvas Art Gallery Karachi

2011   Pakistan Embassy UK

2011   New York Expo

2011   Artistic Fusion from Pakistan (Singapore)

2012   Liberated Dream International exhibition Italy

2012   Group in USA

2012   Group in London

2012   Group show in Jeddah

2012   Two men show Ejaz Art Gallery

2013   Group Exhibition in Malaysia

2013   Group show in Italy

2014   Group show in Jeddah

2015   Group show in Qatar

2015   4 men show Chawkandi Art Gallery

Group Shows

2001   Water Color Show Art Council Karachi

2001   PNCA, Islamabad

2002   The Art Gallery Karachi

2003   Shakir Ali Museum Lahore

2004   V.M. Art Gallery Karachi

2004   Native Art Gallery Lahore

2004   Unicorn Art Gallery Karachi

2005   V.M. Art Gallery, Karachi.

2006   Islamic Centre London, UK

2006   Pakistan Artist’s Show Singapore

2006   25 Senior Artist’s show Clifton Art Gallery Karachi

2006   Action for Earthquake Victims, Hunar Kada, Karachi

2006   20 Pakistan Artist’s Show Hong Kong

2007   15 Senior Artist’s Exhibition, Clifton Art Gallery Karachi

2008   Women day Exhibition Lahore

2008   Art Source Gallery, Qatar

2008   Group show Dubai

2009   Art Scene Gallery, Karachi.

2009   Index Exhibition, Dubai

2009   Interior of UAE, Abu Dhabi

2010   The Collectors Galleria, Lahore.

2010   PNCA, Islamabad

2010   Women’s day exhibition at Russian Consulate, Karachi

2010   Pakistan Artist’s Show Singapore

2010   Grandeur Art Gallery Karachi

2012   Art Scene Gallery Karachi.

2017   Art citi Gallery Karachi.

2010   Art Scene Gallery Karachi

1996   Sadequain Art Gallery Karachi.

1996   Shakir Ali Museum Lahore

1997   PNCA Islamabad