Painterly Paintings & Pots
by Shamim Akhtar
An exhibition of ceramics by Salman Ikram opened at the VM Art Gallery on February 28 and will run through March 24, 2000. Salman's work is an amalgamation of mud and gold. He starts with clay and ends up with glazes and gold, creating abstract images and calligraphy on his pots. To create an impression of antiquity, he over glazes some of his pieces. He creates his large but delicate pieces in layers using the potter's wheel, except for a few works, which are made with cast technique. He identifies his pots with humans and explains them as having lips, neck, belly and foot. With large bellies, his pieces stand on very narrow feet and still they stand firm.
Salman works with his clay like a miniature painter. Certain pieces remind the viewer of a designer service. Salman graduated from the National College of Arts, Lahore, in 1999. He studied Product and Ceramics at college and had the good luck to learn from Peter Wilson, a renowned ceramist from Australia. From him, he learnt the art of making his own recipes. He also explores the internet to find new techniques and recipes for clay and glazes and experiments with them. His works on display include his thesis works also, as is common with new graduates. Still one can see promise in Salman of having bright prospects in the ceramic industry as a designer.
MAG, March 2000
