Vasl-e-Sehr

Born in 1971 in Pakistan, MugheesRiaz is a nationally recognised artist, painter and art educator based in Lahore, Pakistan. Being the third generation, Raiz embraced the artistic path at a very young age due to huge art influence present in the immediate and extended family. His maternal grandfather Muhammad Azad was the first poster painter of Pakistan cinema. His father was an accomplished graphic designer graduated from Mayo school of arts. Two of his brothers as well as his wife are also art gradates and practicing artists in different creative fields.

In 1992, for formal art education Raiz joined Department of Fine Arts, University of the Punjab Lahore Pakistan where he received his BFA, MFA and M.Phil degrees in the year 1997, 1999, and 2015 respectively. Right after his graduation in 1999, he was asked to offer his services in art education at his university. He is a permanent faculty member at the College of Art and Design, University of the Punjab.

Riaz is a prominent visual artist and is best known for his landscape and figurative paintings, the genre closest to his heart as well. He regards the legendary landscape artist Khalid Iqbal as an earlier inspiration and mentor. Raiz’s own landscapes are not only aesthetically beautiful rendition of “Play of Light” but also offers his viewer several layers and meanings.

Not just limited to landscape, Raiz’s oeuvre includes still life, portrait, drawing and figure compositions. Form is integral in his work and follows pictorial fundamentals, but he also uses his signature symbolism to establish certain ‘concepts’ through his work, that seeks viewer’s own interpretation. Thus his work can be easily distinguished from traditional landscape painting of Pakistan. He often uses landscape as a ‘prop’ to record something deeper and multi-layered.

Exhibiting his work extensively since the year 1999 to date, He has participated in several regional, national and international exhibitions including solos and group shows. Riaz’s solo exhibitions include “Kirdaar” at Canvas Art Gallery Karachi in 2021, “Light as an Element of Art” Anna Molka Art Gallery College of Art & PU Lahore in 2016, and in many other prestigious galleries of Pakistan

He has taken part in numerous International Group Exhibitions including Group Exhibition as part of Art “Literary and Social Festival” at Orlando Florida USA 4th to 11th July 2019, Group Show A Project of Imago Mandi “Lines in the Sand” Contemporary Art from Pakistan, at Italy in 2018 and many others.

Riaz has received numerous awards. He is the recipient of National Excellence Award (Visual Art) at 8th National Exhibition of Visual Arts, organized by Pakistan, National Council of Arts, at Islamabad, Pakistan in 2003. Some other awards include

Riaz has also attended Cultural Exchange Program in different cities of China organized by the Chinese embassy, Islamabad in 2016.

Over the last two decades, Riaz’s work has been reviewed and covered in several publications in all major newspapers and magazines of Pakistan.

Riaz’s work can be found in myriad of public and private art collections both in the Pakistan and abroad, and has been seen in numerous exhibitions worldwide. He currently lives and works in Lahore.