As a visual artist, painting is her passion. For inspiration, life itself is the biggest, Mehreen Hasan tells Umer Nangiana

From being a realist, she has come a long way to conceptualise and extrapolate intricate ideas with her paintings.
Taking on the everyday approaches that “unnecessarily” complicate human life and give birth to confrontational conduct in society, the latest black and white themed work by Mehreen Hasan, a Pakistani expatriate in Qatar, delicately present the two extremes represented by the colours.   
Celebrating a month-long black and white season, Espacio Gallery in London recently exhibited her works in two group shows. In another exhibition, Forces of Nature, she has reached Menier Gallery, London.  
“Black and white is polar extremes for an artist and, for all of us, another way of saying yes or no, good or bad and hero or villain. And white light contains all colours, and it is this duality that gives us the magic of old photographs and cinema,” Mehreen says to explain the idea behind her recent work in a chat with Community.
Mono is a month-long black and white season at Espacio Gallery. In two consecutive exhibitions, Mono 1 and Mono 2, artists meet the challenge of making a purely monochrome statement while being free to explore a variety of subjects, styles and media.
Her black and white paintings are simple ideas put on canvas in a charming style. The paintings are a series of visual hyperboles. Critically appreciating the state of the nation back home in Pakistan, Mehreen says she has tried to portray that extremist views and misinterpretation of religious beliefs have led to a negative image of her country.
On the one hand, it presents the brain drain that Pakistan is facing whilst, on the other, it implies how the extremist brain washes away in drains.
One black and white painting — “Forget your caste, have a blast” — is a neat example of visual hyperbole where she asserts that death and destruction sees no caste or family connections. It relates to the demise of innocent people in the name of religion.
“Yet aside from these positive and negative aspects, black and white also suggests refinement, a taste stripped back to the simple contrast between two elements,” Mehreen goes on to add.
“Without the emotional charge of colour, the artist’s intent and expressive means are laid bare. Neither the artist nor viewer can take refuge. Art in black and white carries a concise message and demands our immediate attention,” explains the painter, who has exhibited her work in many countries this year.
Mehreen says her paintings relate to the human condition; how extreme black and white thinking damages all areas of our lives.
Coming from a society where, she believes, some elements have extreme points of view, her simplified visuals project an open minded and a more accepting approach in life. “Instead of over analysing, over criticising and misjudging people based on our previous experiences, we should let go of the misconceptions and be more accommodating,” says Mehreen.
Her work, she says, is very Pakistani in concept and rendering. She takes inspiration from current social issues faced by the people there; their suffering and struggle to survive not only in their own country, but also in foreign lands wherever they are.
As a visual artist, painting is her passion. For inspiration, life itself is the biggest, says Mehreen. From one stage of life to another; both physical and spiritual, and then, the inevitable, all that happens is enough inspiration for her to express herself through her paintings.
The year 2015 has been a very productive year for the artist as she participated in four group shows; three in Britain and one in Pakistan. She has displayed her work in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa and her next five-year plan is to cover all seven continents.
Based in Doha for the last 10 years, her work, Mehreen says, has borrowed some beautiful aspects of Qatari culture. She can see local motifs, Qatari architecture and dusky dunes interwoven with her own philosophies and elements of Pakistani art.
Over time, her work has evolved into bold and simplified visuals as compared to her earlier realistic images.
Her paintings present a series of non-confrontational visual satire or so-called “visual hyperbole” seeking out to portray what she calls the art of social consciousness.
“My visuals infers to the human condition — relaying how we complicate our lives by focusing on non-issues and make a big deal out of them,” says Mehreen. Although not subversive by nature, her aim is to engage the viewers by simplified graphic images to enable a thought provoking conversation with them.
Each one of her images has a small story and a discreet point of view — not to impose but to share.
“This world is a bizarre transition. Our constant lust for material possession and hunger for social status puts forth some unbelievable truths that not only provide mental conflicts, but are also a source of amusement for me,” says Mehreen.
“My work relates to the various shades of grey within ourselves, our spontaneous and controlled reactions, hypocrisy and pretentious nature. I want the viewers to look at my work with an open mind, look behind the images and they might actually find themselves in agreement,” suggests the artist.
Her paintings, in other words, are a subconscious interaction between her environment, a tussle between logical and illogical mind, spiritualism, culture and her personal, real and surreal experiences.
“All these states of mind provoke me to create art that is purely my own. Combination of one idea leading to another; comprehensive yet isolated, inspiring yet in pursuit of a bigger objective, and all woven together leads the viewer to my visual journey,” says Mehreen.
The artist believes that through her art, she tries to resolve many such queries and conflicts that cross her mind. There are still many unresolved issues however, and questions to be answered, so the quest is ongoing.
“With each painting, I approach my canvas with a hope to discover something new, within myself or around me. I feel fortunate that with each new painting, I feel closer to my pursuit,” says Mehreen.
Having done her Master’s in Fine Arts from Pakistan, she has also received training in Contemporary Painting Techniques from University of Arts, London, UK (Chelsea College of Arts) and in Life Drawing from Bettresea Art Centre, London in 2012. She has also taken classes in Life drawing at Bethnal Green, London.
Mehreen has been a regular presence on the art scene in Pakistan since 1991, when she participated in group exhibitions at a very young age. She has been a member of Artists’ Association Lahore. Her first solo exhibition was held in Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore in 1993.
Mehreen continued to inspire and pursued her passion for painting even after moving to Qatar on her husband’s sponsorship 10 years ago. Her work was exhibited at Al Wakrah Stadium and Al Khor Community Centre in 2011. In the following year, her paintings were displayed in an exhibition titled “Underwater Artists” at Dahab, Egypt.