Waqas Khan exhibition - Manchester Art Gallery

One thing I have been focusing on during the Floral Geometry project has been detailed, fine line work. I quite enjoy doing drawings that are detailed and labour intensive so practising my skills of patience by creating large scale floral designs made up entirely of lines has been very rewarding.

This type of drawing has taught me that often it is the small detail within an image which contributes to an impactful design. However, by becoming too focused on the detail I can sometimes lose sight of the overall image, so this is something I am going to work on for future drawing development.

Excited by the possibilities of line drawing for my project and keen to work on it further, I was really interested to read an excellent review of the new exhibition by Pakistani artist Waqas Khan, at the Manchester Art Gallery. He works entirely in intricate lines to create incredible, awe inspiring large-scale pieces.

The exhibition itself isn’t huge, but this works in its favour, as each piece is so detailed and intricate, that you need to spend a long time studying them. Too many in the space and you almost wouldn’t be able to focus. At first glance, the drawings appear like large expanses of colour with winding, undulating edges, or precise shapes, some of which are so faint you can barely see them. Upon closer inspection, you realise that the ink drawings are made up of thousands of fine lines or circles.

A close detail of one of Khan's extremely inticate, large-scale drawings.

It is really astounding to think about the amount of time which must have gone into creating each piece. Khan describes entering a trance-like state in order to complete them and he mainly works at night. You get the sense that it is almost a spiritual experience, quite meditative and very intense.

A smaller drawing representing two circles which could be cross sections from trees.

My favourite thing about Khan’s work is that it works on many scales. From afar you get to see the whole image and imagine what the edges of the drawing are supposed to be. Some of the biggest installations, including a series of red line drawings positioned next to each other could be the edges of a continent when seen as a whole. The closer you get, the more variations appear. Are they waves on a choppy sea? Or perhaps the veins of a plant magnified way out of proportion? What’s so impressive is the way that Khan considers all the different ways the drawings will be seen, and makes sure they work from every angle, and at every scale. You would think that working in such a detailed way might lead the artist to lose sight of the whole picture, but incredible, the geometry and movement of each artwork is maintained on every level.

You get a real sense of geometry and movement from afar.

A section of one of Khan's lager pieces.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibition, not only because of its relevance to my own project, but because it was so refreshing to see something completely different. I have never seen an exhibition of line drawing like this before, and it was a totally, awe-inspiring experience. Even if you don’t like the works themselves, I don’t think anyone could fail to be impressed by the sheer dedication and labour-intensity of these works. As well as this, I really like the way the drawings evoke a sense of space and sci-fi, but also a natural sense, as though the drawings have come from natural sources.I would highly recommend a visit to see this exhibition to anyone.