Rhythms Of The Everyday by Salman Farooqi (6th - 10th Nov 2025)

Rhythms of the Everyday
by
Salman Farooqi

Exhibition Statement

My work explores the quiet dialogue between structure and stillness — between objects that occupy space and the emotions they silently hold. Through the use of bold outlines, fragmented geometry, and layered color fields, I reimagine familiar subjects such as boats, vessels, and everyday objects as symbols of reflection, memory, and time.

The boats in my paintings are metaphors for human presence — grounded yet adrift, solitary yet connected to a vast surrounding expanse. The still-life compositions, similarly, turn ordinary forms into architectural arrangements of color and shape, revealing rhythm and balance within daily life.

By combining abstraction with recognizable imagery, I aim to construct spaces that exist between realism and imagination. The vibrant hues and defined lines serve not only as compositional elements but also as emotional markers — each tone suggesting warmth, distance, nostalgia, or calm.

Ultimately, my paintings are about creating harmony within contrast — stillness within motion, solidity within fluidity, and simplicity within complexity. They invite viewers to pause and experience the quiet narrative that unfolds between light, form, and color.

Rhythms of the Everyday

Curatorial Note

It is a pleasure to present the works of Salman Farooqi, an artist whose vibrant visual language transforms the familiar into something poetic and alive. A graduate of the Karachi School of Art, Farooqi has established a unique artistic vocabulary that he calls “stylization,” a signature approach where geometric rhythm, bold colour, and lyrical form converge to reimagine everyday scenes. His earlier works often depict boats, buildings, and cityscapes, motifs rooted in Karachi’s visual and emotional landscape. These scenes, though architectural in nature, are never static. They pulse with warmth and optimism, revealing a harmony between structure and sentiment, between memory and imagination.

In his new body of work, Farooqi shifts his gaze inward from the bustling exteriors of the city to the intimate interiors of home. His compositions now unfold within kitchens and dining areas, spaces filled with domestic familiarity yet rendered through the same stylized language that defines his art. Here, the artist explores the poetic possibilities of the everyday, the table, the chair, the vessels, the soft interplay of light, all elevated into something deeply personal. These interiors are not just depictions of space; they are reflections of life and emotion, charged with the intimacy of lived experience.

What remains consistent across Farooqi’s evolving practice is his devotion to colour and form. His palette is radiant, alive with reds, blues, and ochres that lend his paintings an immediate vitality. Each brushstroke contributes to a rhythm that feels musical, while his stylisation infuses a sense of romance and timelessness. Through this synthesis, Farooqi redefines the boundaries between representation and abstraction, between realism and reverie.

This new phase of his work offers a profound shift in perspective from the collective energy of the outside world to the quiet resonance of personal space. The boats and buildings of his earlier compositions find an echo in these interiors, where stillness replaces motion and intimacy replaces distance. Yet the emotional essence remains the same, a celebration of life through the lens of beauty, structure, and colour.

Salman Farooqi’s art reminds us that wonder exists not only in grand landscapes but also in the intimate corners of our everyday lives. His paintings invite us to pause, to observe, and to rediscover the romance hidden in ordinary moments, whether on a sunlit street or around a dining table.

Curated by Muhammad Zeeshan