Irfan Cheema is known for his timeless still life paintings. He is a classical realistic painter, but his paintings are more than an imitation of what is seen. He has the magic of capturing the essence of the vignette that he replicates on canvas. Beyond realism, he understands his subject matter well. The moments of stillness he captures are framed and amalgamated onto his canvases to elicit a core response from the viewer. They serve as a connection to something greater than the world seems to offer- a pathway to stillness; when one gets lost in the moment, completely absorbed in what fills one with purpose, joy and hope– where time stands still.

His paintings, which may all be described as beautiful, make references to beauty in its various guises, and attributes such as pattern and decoration, nature and sensuality, clarity of colour, luminosity and convincing detail and to symbolic references of femininity, and temporality. Beauty seems to be almost embedded within the very subject he paints. His work, overall celebrates nature, life and heritage of places that he has visited, lived in and loved! From Ordinary to Extraordinary is his fifth solo show.