A reader’s review: Art showing
“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun.”
— Pablo Picasso
Alayna Zaid
Indeed Alayna, through her works has turned colour into constellations. Sublime Galleria opened doors to Imaginarium II — A collection of abstract paintings by 10-year-old artist, Alayna Zaid. Alayna who is the daughter of gallerist Uzma Irfan, has always been involved and immersed in art. Thanks to her art-loving parents who, time and again have given her the exposure to art exhibited at the Sublime Galleria, she has forged her own path. After the immense success of her first show, which was a sell-out, the young painter is back with a collection of 43 new paintings. Over the past year, Alayna has been taking intensive classes with teachers, from school and personally, honing her skills and embracing abstraction, her favourite medium. Her latest collection can be described as “complex yet accessible,” showcasing her love for colours, textures and shapes. The ability to convert imagination into reality intrigued Alayna Zaid and this, along with her love for experimenting, drew her to the world of art. She
has been painting since the tender age of three. In essence, she embodies the rich expressive artistic impulses that the fathers of abstract art such as Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso drew upon, to create the entire abstract art movement. Alayna breaks away from convention of regular art to create artworks truly stunning in their vivacity and originality. Alayna says “I was drawn to the world of art because I enjoy converting my imagination into reality. While I’ve tried my hand at different forms of painting, abstract art continues to be my favourite because I love the way the colours blend into each other to create a beautiful picture. I hope people come to see my paintings and enjoy them.”
Her mother Usma Irfan at one of the events
A child is the true modern artist. Children are free, unhindered and pure in their application and motivation. Her 43 new works mark a significant point in her artistic journey. Her development over the past year can be seen in the wholehearted embracement of abstraction, and the innovative, out-of-the-box techniques applied in the creation of her art. She is overwhelmingly interested in colours, textures, shapes and lines as a raw expressive ingredient. Spray paint, powdery, glistening surfaces intrigue her experimental mind, and she finds the infinite dazzling variations of the interplay of colour immensely exciting. Every stroke, smear and splash is the indelible signature of innocence — the subconscious mind “writing” its own existence — onto a canvas using paint and found objects. One of the most renowned abstract painters Mark Rothko explored the beauty of colour in simplistic ways. Alayna’s work does show promise and she is destined for greater leaps. In this journey of art which has just begun, one cannot but complement her parents to have encouraged her towards art.
— The art show is on till August 9 at
Sublime Galleria. The writer is an art expert and curator.
