Held at Ejaz Gallery Lahore (29th April, 2003)

Painter Shakir Ali once remarked that the path of the artist was a difficult and lonely one. On that journey one was utterly alone-companionless. He went on to say that those who would not take it, fell by the wayside-only the strong made it to ‘the other side’. The implications in this observation were clear. Be prepared to pay for passion. The commitment is final.

Ufaq Ehsan is a young painter, whose commitment is evident. Her emotional travails are apparent; deeply felt and passionately recorded. Uncompromising in the way she approaches the task of image making; she does not pander to the notion of ‘illustrating’ her feelings.

Line, texture and color collaborate; spread themselves across the surface-immediate and self contained.

She sifts both calligraphy and organic forms, bringing them together in urgent dynamic collusion. Ufaq Ehsan draws upon an intuitive understanding of requirements of picture making in the process. The proximity of opposites is handled deftly. The outcome is a lively, lyrical series of works.

This first solo-exhibition suggests that the artist has harnessed her nascent creative abilities with confidence and commitment.

Salima Hashmi