A solo show at Koel Gallery celebrated and honored the three decades of artistic contributions Abdul Jabbar Gull has made towards the local art community. Over the years his art has changed and evolved and grown with him, but his talent, skill and passion for his work has stayed consistent.
“The meaning and definition of art kept changing for me. From 1983 to 1989 as a cinema hoarding painter I used to think that anyone who could copy a photograph realistically was a great artist. In 1990, while studying at NCA, I believed that anyone who could draw and paint a live model was a good artist with good skills. I feel blessed that copying photographs and drawing and painting from life were never challenging for me. I could easily use diverse mediums and materials in my art practice and I quickly learned basic skills.”
The artist further shares, “I personally feel that we live in two worlds simultaneously, the physical and the spiritual. My entire art practice revolves around the feelings, observations and experiences of these two realms. In this exhibition I have attempted to share my 33 year journey addressing issues and questions about the outer world which is easier to explain than what one experiences in the inner world. As a visual artist, when I try to share that experience through lines, colors, and forms, I realize that the more I try to say, the more remains unsaid and untold. Thus, the journey continues.”
Abdul Jabbar Gulls work is raw and real. There is feeling and personal experience and story behind each of his pieces. His art is as authentic as it gets because he invests everything he has into his pieces. There is so much emotion, realness and passion in his work that it makes his work stand out.
CAPTION
Ordinary Souls, Acrylic on canvas, 30 X 60 Inches, 2022Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 36 X 72 Inches, 2023
Ordinary Souls, Acrylic on canvas, 36 X 36 Inches, Triptych, 2019
Untitled, Acrylic On Canvas, 12 X 42 Inches Each, 2023
Ordinary Souls, Acrylic On Canvas, 18 X 32 Inches, 2019
Untitled, Acrylic On Canvas, 23 X 39 Inches, 2023
Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 36 X 72 Inches, 2023