There is a new artist in town. Mumbai based Shamim Akhtar Khan, a student of Sir J J School of Art attempts to bring to life into religion on canvas in his own interesting way. His latest series ‘Reveries before the Salvation’ revolve around the daily practice of praying or Namaz. He says that Islam is a religion which inculcates the values of praying daily, called Namaz.
“During the Namaz, one is expected to keep all the worldly thoughts aside and pray for expressing one’s gratitude towards life. Being a visual artist, every minute movement like the movement of the ‘Ja-namaz’ (the mat used for performing the namaz) which has intricate designs or patterns, the rolling of the coins when we perform the ‘Sajda’ (prostration) distracts me from this focus. When words aren’t enough to express these disturbances, the repressed feelings pour out on the canvas through my brush giving birth to these series,” he says. The paintings on exhibit at the Kaladeep Annual Exhibition at the Sir J J School of Art campus are worth a look.R