10 july tft 2018 -f
Cartoons
Stories
through
Lines & Colors.
Exploring life, society and human emotion through paintings and cartoons shaped in a warm, collector-grade studio atmosphere.
Featured Works
A glimpse of my creative world.
bhaiya model town 73
Cityscapes
Alina 67
Portraits
ac-paint-1
Symbolic Paintings
About The Artist
Born in a small city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sabir Nazar began learning painting and drawing from his father before he could tie his shoelaces. He later left architecture in his third year and joined Fine Arts at the National College of Arts.
His paintings revolve around socio-political commentary with indigenous symbolism, and his work has appeared in several solo and group exhibitions. His watercolors were selected for the International Watercolor Masters show in 2022 and the National Watercolor Exhibition in May 2021.
Alongside his studio practice, he has worked as an editorial cartoonist for The Friday Times, Express Tribune and Independent Urdu Pakistan, and has contributed to rights organizations including HRCP Pakistan, IRC Lahore, UNDP, CWS, ActionAid, AASHA, DCHD, Oxfam and UNICEF.
His recognitions include the Editor's Pick award at the South Asian cartoonists' conference in Nepal, a painting award from the Punjab Artists Association in Lahore in 2019, and a 2014 fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy, where he also showcased his cartoons at AAEC in San Francisco.
Practice Lens
Painting, portraiture and satire are held together by one consistent social gaze.
The work moves from public commentary to folklore, memory, place and character without losing its narrative clarity.
Editorial Practice
The Friday Times (1991), Express Tribune (2013), Independent Urdu Pakistan (2018)
Recognition
Editor's Pick in Nepal, NED fellowship in 2014, Punjab Artists Association award in 2019
Featured Talk
TEDx FC College
A public talk included here to bring the artist's voice directly into the section, alongside the studio and archive record.
Opens on YouTube
Embedded playback is limited for this talk.
Source
YouTube
Exhibitions
Solo and group exhibitions across painting, watercolor and archive-based studio work.
Solo Show
Maati Gallery, Lahore, 15-25 March 2020
International
International Watercolor Masters show, 2022
National
National Watercolor Exhibition, May 2021
The Maati Gallery solo exhibition opened with Mian Ijaz ul Hassan in March 2020, while a Colin David note also recalled Sabir Nazar as class of 88 NCA.
Editorial Work
Editorial cartooning runs alongside the painting practice as a parallel public record.
Press
The Friday Times, Express Tribune
Digital
Independent Urdu Pakistan
Associated rights and development collaborations include HRCP, IRC, UNDP and UNICEF.
Contact
Message Request
Request to be sent a message
sabirnazar@gmail.com
Appointments
By private appointment only
Maati TV, Nawab Town, Lahore
Archive Snapshot
54 works currently featured across four strands of practice.
Collaborations include HRCP Pakistan, IRC Lahore, UNDP, CWS, ActionAid, AASHA, DCHD, Oxfam and UNICEF.
CartoonsCityscapesPortraitsSymbolic Paintings
Featured archive work: Gawalmandi 197. Indigenous symbols, public life and narrative clarity continue to connect the full range of work.
Testimonials
Critical reflections on the work.
Two readings of Sabir Nazar's practice, focused on narrative structure, political depth and the enduring use of indigenous symbolism.
"
Mian Ijaz ul Hassan
09 March 2020
Sabir Nazar is among the few Pakistani artists who absorb the social and political concerns of our time. He has a penetrating vision and an unusual skill to delineate characters, objects and form with simple elements.
In order to express his intentions he employs popular myths and folklore. Many of his paintings have an elaborate narrative, but they are seldom cluttered. Elements are not huddled together but part of an established whole. Pictorially his works individually engage the viewer to narrate their tales that the viewer is expected to unravel.
His still life renderings are self-indulgent but satisfying. They delight in exuding colour and smile at you with cheerful light.
In brief, I find Sabir's works aesthetically exquisite, imaginatively enchanting and, in the social context, intellectually enriching.
"
Fouzia Saeed
Folklorist and cultural activist
Most of Nazar's paintings are as powerful with political ideas as his cartoons. He has skillfully used ancient symbols to depict contemporary political issues, such as the legends of Puran Bhagat, Ranjha, the crocodile (gharial), cat and mouse, religious institutions, market forces and the way global forces exploit our resources.
Responding to a question, Ms Saeed said every artist has his or her own style and it would be unfair to make a comparison. However, according to her, what makes Nazar's work stand out from others is its strong political undertones and its use of indigenous symbols.