A five-day exhibition of grand art from India and Pakistan titled "Across Boundaries-a Collage" opened at a Central London hotel on Tuesday evening which attracted a large number of connoisseurs of art. On display were the most select works of some of sub-continent's most celebrated artists. The exhibition had earlier successful showings in Dubai and Oman.
The exhibition was inaugurated by a leading British fashion designer Ms Zandra Rhodes and featured a selection of canvasses, by Prabha from Bombay, expressionist Jamil Naqsh, Shamshaad Hussein, Akbar Padamsee and the late Ismail Gulgee whose canvases are being sold at a premium.
Showcasing for the first time was the young and talented artist Sarah Ayoub Agha, winner of the New Signature Award in 2007. The Award is an initiative launched by Her Highness Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President, and Dubai Women Establishment, to identify and recognise emerging talent in the region.
Rhodes showed keen interest in the exhibit and noted the quality of works by the leading artists of the sub-continent, which she said, was a culturally rich and diverse region. Commenting on the exhibition, Arif Rahman, Managing Director of Dubai Lifestyle City, said the event is another example of company's many efforts to promote haute living among the community of which appreciation of fine arts is an integral part.
According to Kanika Subberwal, founder of Art Select, art from the Subcontinent is seen as a vibrant and financially viable market combining both judicious investment and cultural finesse in its ownership.