The Art of Travel — Works from Australia come to Karachi

KARACHI: Displayed side by side as a unified body of work in the latest show titled ‘Across the land and the water’ at ArtChowk the gallery are the solo and collaborative set of prints by Australian artist Damon Kowarski motivated and inspired by his passion to travel the world.

A travelogue of sorts-the solo works currently on view also relies on his extensive visits to across the globe, a recurring theme he has spent pursuing much of his artistic career. Featuring landscapes and scenes from his time in South Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Melbourne-based artist remains consistent with the subject matter throughout his new series. A fusion of his two passions art and travel, the prints on display offer an insight into the land and culture of these places.

With a network of friends and colleagues all around the world including Pakistan, Kowarski has also established himself as a keen and equally extensive collaborator over a career spanning two decades across multiple continents. The current showcase, therefore, also includes his collaborative works recently done with another Australian Printmaker Mathew Greentree- a colleague of his from the Victorian College of Arts. 

 Teaching drawing at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, and printmaking at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Kowarski who has exhibited regularly in major cities of Pakistan says it his sixth visit to the country in the past two decades where he also studied miniature for a while.

Architecture being a strong inspiration for much of his career has gradually been replaced by his newfound love for nature especially plants elaborates Kowarski speaking of his latest works upon his recent return to the city.

With residencies in Oman, Cairo, China and Pakistan and collaborations all around the world, Melbourne-based artist has exhibited extensively in Australia and abroad since his graduation from the Victorian College of Arts and Glasgow School of Art and Advanced Figure Drawing at RMIT University.

Based on solo and collaborative works of Damon Kowarski with Mathew Greentree, the two-person show by Artchowk the gallery will continue till March 23rd, 2017.