Soft spoken and ever smiling, I have found in Michelle Farooqi a quiet warmth that mirrors her paintings. In the exhibition ‘Fair. Fierce. Fleeting.’, Farooqi turns her observant gaze to the shifting seasons of Lahore. Her paintings are not simply observations of landscape: they reflect the movement of life itself — the gradual and sudden changes that shape memory, relationships and identity.
Although each work stands on its own, the four paintings were also conceived as part of a larger continuum. Together, they move through cycles of growth, intensity, reflection and stillness. Farooqi sees these moments both individually and as part of a larger current — one that keeps flowing and transforming over time.
Farooqi describes the seasons in Lahore as distinct and measurable, except for autumn, which can arrive suddenly and is often fleeting. These shifts became a way for her to think about the constant state of change that defines the human experience: moving cities, changing homes, forming new relationships and leaving others behind. In many ways, the paintings capture that sense of life always being in motion.
The exhibition’s title emerged organically from the work itself. Spring is fair and gentle, summer can be fierce and overpowering, and all seasons, like life, are fleeting. Farooqi wanted the title to reflect both the beauty and intensity of nature, while also hinting at the temporary nature of all experiences.
