Adeela Suleman

The current lot by contemporary Pakistani sculptor and artist, Adeela Suleman, portrays an elegant set of seraphic wings hand-beaten in steel. The wings are connected by a central panel of floral imagery and ornate detailing, atop which two parrot-like birds feast on the laden foliage. If Love Only Had Wings was produced around the time of Adeela’s second solo exhibition in New York, ‘Towards the End’. This show, held at Aicon Gallery in 2014, centered around her recent monumental steel reliefs.

These works revisited the metalworking traditions of Islamic art and juxtaposed pastoral imagery of flora and fauna with motifs of conflict and violence. By contrast, the current lot is devoid of destructive themes, and instead focuses on symbols of growth and harmony. If Love Only Had Wings does not form part of a series like many of Adeela’s works, and is instead a stand-alone piece, with love, the most powerful and optimistic of all forces, the overarching theme.

The solidity and shine of the metal furnish the installation piece with an inherent tactility and majestic quality. Rendered with intricate detail and on a grand-scale, the wings are redolent of those of an angel, and appear bound for heaven.

Adeela acquired her BFA in Sculpture at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi, later becoming an Associate Professor at the university and Head of the Fine Arts Department from 2008 to 2019. She has exhibited extensively around the world, in solo and group shows in New York, Palo Alto, Barcelona, Berlin, Fukuoka and at home in Karachi.