Syed A. Irfan

A name that hardly needs any more recognition in concern with Miniature Art of Pakistan. An artist whose scales are small but scopes are certainly very big. Syed A .Irfan is undoubtedly a modern master and a true identity of Pakistan.

Syed A Irfan is a self-taught artist. He was born on 26th May, 1985 in Karachi. He developed the passion of miniature painting, when he visited with his family at Lahore Museum in 1997. There he saw miniature paintings and started trying miniature art with the help of miniature art books and the internet.

At the age of 17, he for the very first time showed his art piece to the owner of Zenaini Art Gallery, Ms. Saira. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She was really impressed by his work and supported him and included him in the group exhibition in the year 2003 which was his first exhibition in Zenaini Art Gallery with other senior miniaturists.

Syed A Irfan has exhibited his work in group and solo exhibitions in different countries of the world like Pakistan, USA, Dubai, Turkey, Canada, London, China, Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt and Algeria as a Pakistani representative. He has done Six solo and above 70 Group Exhibitions in different countries. Mughal Traditional Miniature has actually become his identity. Furthermore, he has also done Oriental and Contemporary style miniature work.

Seeing his great talent he’d been awarded by PTV the Best Performance Award in 2007. He won a Special Prize in the Sadequain Award Exhibition in 2006, and in 2001 he got first prize in the All Degree College Art Exhibition.

Now in 2022 he has been 2nd Awarded by 12th Algeria Miniature Art Festival 2022, Algeria. Alhamdulillah he is the only one artist selected from Pakistan in 12th Algeria Miniature Art Festival 2022 as a Pakistani representative.

His work has been displayed permanently in some of the countries worldwide. List is below with years:

• 2022 Display at Andalusian Studies Center, Tlemcen, Algeria.
• 2020 Display at Abraj Al Mansi Hotel, Dubai.
• 2020 Display at St Margaret's Church, Halliwell, Manchester England.
• 2019 Display at CF Toronto Eaton Center, Canada.
• 2019 Display at Coca Cola Head Office, Dubai.
• 2019 Display at iTextile Head Office, Karachi.
• 2017 Display at History Museum Bursa Turkey.
• 2012 Display in Pakistan Embassy in Delhi India.
• 2007 Displayed Work (Golf Club, Dubai).
• 2007 Display in Efroze Chemicals Industries Pvt. Ltd. Karachi.
• 2004 Displayed Work (London).

Syed A. Irfan has truly revolutionized miniature art and has succeeded in creating the most authentic fusion of Miniature Art. I personally feel that artists like Syed A. Irfan are born in centuries and hopes that the greatness of his personality which has now started to erupt on the surface paper is recorded in time as a golden chapter in itself.

Achievements:
2022   Second Prize in Miniature & Illumination Art Festival , Tlemcen, Algeria.  
2007   Best Performance Award in PTV (Pakistan Television)                                            
2006   Special Prize in Sadequain Award Exhibition                                                                
2001   First Prize in All Degree College Art Exhibition

Art Curator:
2023 Curator Students Exhibition at Art One62 Art Gallery Karachi.
2022 Curator Group Exhibition at Full Circle Art Gallery Karachi.
2021 Curator Miniature Group Exhibition at ArtCiti Gallery Karachi.
2021 Curator Students Exhibition at Art One62 Art Gallery Karachi.
2019 Curator Miniature Group Exhibition at Art Kaam Art Gallery Karachi.
2019 Curator Miniature Group Exhibition at Studio Seven Art Gallery Karachi.
2017 Two Person Miniature Exhibition at Art Chowk Art Gallery Karachi.
2009 Curator Paintings Exhibition “Color of Dimension” at Art Council of Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan.

Exhibitions:

SOLO EXHIBITION:

2023 Solo Exhibition at First Ontario Art Centre Milton. Toranto, Canada.
2022 Solo Exhibition at Poetic Strokes Gallery. Dubai.
2021 Solo Exhibition at Art Scene Gallery. Karachi.
2020 Online Solo Exhibition at Gallery One62. Karachi.
2014 Solo Exhibition at Citi Gallery. Karachi.
2010 Solo Exhibition at Citi Gallery. Karachi.
2005 Solo Exhibition at The Art Gallery. Karachi.

INTERNATIONAL SHOW:

2023 Group Exhibition at Station Gallery. Toranto, Canada.
2023 Group Exhibition at Poetic Strokes Gallery at, Dubai.
2022 Display at Andalusian Studies Center, Tlemcen, Algeria.   
2022 Group Exhibition at Global Art Show at, Dubai.
2022 Participate 9th Beijing International Art Biennale, Beijing, China. 
2021 Portrait Exhibition at Lamasatt Gallery, Cairo, Egypt.
2021 Group Exhibition at Poetic Strokes Gallery at, Dubai.
2021 Group Exhibition at Gallery One62 at, Sydney, Australia.
2020 Group Exhibition at Poetic Strokes Gallery at, Dubai.
2020 Group Exhibition at Art 4 You Gallery at, Dubai.
2018 “World Art Dubai 2018” with Art Zest Gallery at, Dubai.
2018 Group Exhibition at with Art Zolo Gallery at, New Dehli, India.
2017 Group Exhibition “Migration & Empathy” at Bursa, Turkey.
2017 “World Art Dubai 2017”at Dubai.

2016 Group Exhibition at Town Hall Manchester.
2016 Group Exhibition Mask 7 at Istanbul, Turkey.
2016 Group Exhibition “World Art Dubai 2016” at with Art Zest Gallery, Dubai.
2015 Group Exhibition “Art for All”at Art Zest Gallery, Dubai.
2015 Group Exhibition Mask 6 at Istanbul, Turkey.
2014 Participate Turkey Art Competition 2014 at Istanbul, Turkey.
2014 Group Exhibition at Art Fear 2014 Dubai.
2013 A Travelling Group Show of Pakistani Young Artists Karachi to Houston, New York and Washington.
2012 Group Exhibition at Ana Special Mall Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
2008 Group Exhibition at Dubai Auditorium.
2008 Miniature Group Exhibition at I.I.C Art Gallery, Delhi, India.