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