ISLAMABAD: The walls of the Nomad gallery were brought to life as the vibrant collection of paintings by Bangladeshi artist Kazi Salahuddin and Pakistani artist Mohammad Ali Bhatti went on display.

Bhatti is most well known for his figurative work which captured the beauty of each face in bold colours and the result always induced joy in the viewer. He said he enjoyed working with bright colours and found pleasure in putting them togetheron the canvas.

Bhatti said that he chooses the form and content in his compositions after a long process of serious contemplation.

`A painter has a social and moral duty to explore and widen the understanding of our cultural and spiritual identity,` he said.

Bhatti`s latest collection of paintings is titled `Absurd Illusion` and is a commentary of the country`s political situation.

`It is a reflection upon the ambiguity in politics and the confusion in society,` he said.

`Through my paintings I respond to thecontradiction between traditional feudalism and the perceptions about democracy in Pakistan,` he added.

Bangladeshi artist Kazi Salahuddin captures the beauty of old Dhaka city using bold honestbrushstrokes.

He said that by painting scenes from Dhaka, he hopes to capture the essence of the city on his canvas. The artist incorporates childhood memories with many aspects of daily existence in old Dhaka, combining the rhythm, smells and textures of the city expressed in colour.

Salahuddin said that in this age of individualism, old Dhaka retains a sense of community which is unique.

`I witnessed unity, neighbourly attitudes and belonging in old Dhaka,` he said.

He said that through his work, he hopes to reinvent how people think of the old city.

`I attempt to portray scenes from a treasure trove of memories and show a way of life which is becoming extinct. Without this sense of community, we are left feeling hallow and empty,` he said. APP