Mobina Zuberi has contributed significantly in Pakistani art scene, both as a curator and as an artist. She established “The Art Gallery” in early 90s in Islamabad in the Diplomatic Enclave, which later moved to F-6 Sector and changed it’s name to Khaas Gallery. Mobina remained associated with it for several years, till she handed it over to her partner Zeeshan Afzal Khan.

Mobina has been painting since the 1970s and over the years she has produced diverse series of work. Her upcoming exhibition “Fragments of the Unseen” is opening at the Gallery 6 Islamabad on 04 October 2024. Interestingly, the show has two very different genres of paintings with distinct interaction – one dealing with women and the other with abstract compositions.

Mobina’s paintings of women are not complex illustrations. Her women are neither beautiful glamorous woman nor are they fairy tales princesses, mythological figures, embodiments of fertility, or folklore legends. They are also not drawn from the traditional Mughal miniature imagery. In a distinct contrast, these are simple drawings that use paints to portray a relationship with a moment or an internal expression or feeling. They create a bond with a happening, an instinct, or a desire– something that is part of the routine life. This creates an element of drama, a story, a moment.

Mobina is able to create the presentation of these emotional feelings by the choice of a pose, a posture, angularity, contour, a definite gesture on the faces of these women, a look in the eyes and her own form of sketching. The effect is further enhanced by her adopted treatment and texture on the canvas. This gives them unyielding and overriding expression.

Fascinatingly, one sees her wandering in distinct paths with her women. In one, her palette is dominated by white, interspersed with minimal black and different earthen hues. They carry a soft, sombre mood or an appeal of innocence. In another, it is more colourful, but women are in more thoughtful and meditative moods. While in other paintings, bright, vibrant colours are spread over the canvas, creating cheerful and witty moods. These paths do not appear to be intentionally designed, but comes out as natural reflections of her different moods. Interestingly, none of her works shows any grotesque or appalling form. Her women neither reveal the body to create voluptuous sensations or unnecessary erotic sensationalism; however, they have a definite sensual alluring attraction.

Whatever may be the palette, Mobina’s paintings are not decorative material for the drawing room – an approach that is gaining popularity among some contemporary painters. These are pieces of imaginative art work in which figures are not static and bland, but have charismatic appeal. They are starkly powerful, capturing snapshots of momentary expression, creating the entire mood of that moment with minimal lines and brush strokes and not camera.

The abstract work being presented in the exhibition is characterized by conscientious attention to formal elements such as shape, balance and depth. In her abstraction too, there are no elements of surrealism, mythic imagery or non-objective indeterminate shapes. She has very successfully presented a range of moods, expressed sentiments and made statements, openly and plainly. These can be felt as the compositions activate the viewer’s mind and imagination through forms and use of colours.

This upcoming exhibition marks a much-anticipated return of Mobina Zuberi to the Islamabad art scene after more than a decade, offering a treat for her many fans and inspiring a new generation of artists.