THE ART NEWSPAPER MARCH 2018 www.artnowpakistan.com SECOND EDITION PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY UZAIR AZIZ | https://www.uzairazizphotography.

The Lahore Biennale’s opening weekend program commences March 16 to 19 2018, and includes performances, guided tours of art works and venues, as well as collateral gallery programming within the city. Exhibitions and events for LB01 will be held at seven major venues that engage with the city’s Mughal, Colonial and Modern layers. The inaugural biennale recognizes the city in relation to its region, as reflected in the presentation of artists selected, and in the Biennale’s core and collateral programming. LB01 understands inclusivity, collaboration, and public-engagement as being central to its vision. LB01 has invited artists, groups, and institutions to work on various scales and at multifaceted sites.

Editorial Note Editorial Note

Fawzia Naqvi Quddus Mirza 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Editor in Chief Editor It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you to the 2nd edition ‘In the beginning was the Word’, and one feels in the end it of the ArtNow Art Paper, which brings selected articles from will also be the Word; although in between it has assumed the online magazine into print. The current milieu of re- various forms: from handwritten manuscripts to Guttenberg gional and global art is abuzz with activity, with art fairs and prints, and to Kindle. From ink on paper to digital letters on biennales initiating and returning one after the other. The Lahore Biennale adds to this luminous screen. From a bound volume to an online publication. Yet in all these for- ever-growing art calendar, with an array of exciting artworks and site-specific projects mats it is the meaning that makes the difference. It is believed that meaning determines on display, along with strong discursive, educational and cultural outreach programs the selection of words, but in most instances, meaning relies upon words. Words guide, in place. Through an engagement with Lahore, the artists and audiences will be able to shape and evolve the content of a work. Like many perfect relationships, both word and maneuver its complexities and experience it as an intricate, multi-layered urban space. meaning – or form and content, are mutually incompressible, yet inseparable. Often It is the relentless commitment and labour of love put in over the years by the Executive words accompany a work of art. These are a passage leading us into an artwork – and Director LBF and Director LB01 Qudsia Rahim, Chairperson Osman Khalid Waheed, out of it. Not only our understanding but our enjoyment is dependant on language, since the LBF board and the LB01 team that has made the Lahore Biennale possible. The Art when we think, we think in words. Language is a potent tool to have an initial and inti- Paper gives us a chance to foster a meaningful understanding of the significance such mate contact with the work of visual art after we set our eyes on the piece. This encounter events have for the country, its art community, and for its relationship with the region. It constructs the perfect backdrop against which to situate the biennale, by providing further opens up a link between image and word, and how both connect, complement, insights on the most recent large scale art events and reflecting on their social, political or contradict (Joseph Brodsky’s stated: “A picture seldom complements words, or vice and cultural implications. Rabeya Jalil questions the existence of “art beyond borders”, versa”). Art Now Pakistan aims to provide a context for artistic practices. Drawing from while Dua Abbas Rizvi and Julius John Alam explore the need for, and future of bien- a large number of our contributors across the world, we try to present a view of the nales in cities like Karachi and Lahore. The Paper also includes in-depth coverage of world of art, not purely objective, but the one that raises some points to ponder, subjects the Venice Biennale by Naiza Khan, the Karachi Biennale by Saira Danish Ahmed, the to investigate, and issues to be explored. Multiple opinions, diverse voices and different Dhaka Art Summit by Sophia Balagamwala and an interview with Myrna Ayad, the di- dimensions are included in our online magazine; because for us art is not a landlocked rector Art Dubai, providing a comprehensive view of the regional art environment from pursuit, but a collective act that breaks the barriers of boundaries: national, regional, cul- multiple perspectives. We are pleased to introduce Art Spaces, Retrospective and Guest tural and political. Like ‘Art Dubai’, for which artists, viewers, critics and collectors leave Editor Column. Ali Naqvi and Kimihide Ando have shared their views in these columns. their places and interact with others at another location – geographically a small island, Supplementing these insightful reads are some star studded profiles. It is exceedingly but in its power, prestige and perception equal, if not more, to a continent-scale country. refreshing to see the change Pakistani art has seen in recent times and the trajectory it A kind of micro world. Art Now Pakistan in its capacity of an online magazine is situated is currently taking to situate itself in the global art conversation, and we are enormously at one address, yet exists at thousands of other venues at the same moment – bringing thrilled to be a part of this change. For more insights and critical perspectives on con- them closer to a familiar neighbourhood we call – ART! temporary art, log on to artnowpakistan.com to remain updated on the latest news and happenings in the country and around the world. Bye for NOW! 2 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 3

Profile| February 2017 Profile| March 2018 Osman Khalid Waheed Qudsia Rahim: by Nour Aslam Executive Director, LBF, success of the project made the founding team zo in Venice. Audiences in both cities were able realize that “…the idea was bigger than this one to see and speak to each other in unexpected specific application, and that there was a great interactions that took place through a screen Director LB01 need, particularly in Pakistan, to explore public or ‘mirror’ that existed neither in Lahore nor in art as a vehicle for social change.” From there, Venice, but a third space that created an alter- by Qudsia Rahim the Lahore Biennale Foundation was founded in nate reality and existed in both cities, blurring February of 2015. not only geographic boundaries, but also the The Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) was such work on a sustained basis, one of the aims As the Co-Chair of the Lahore Bien- lines between artist and audience, the viewer founded in 2014 in an effort to create oppor- of the Biennale is to create this exposure for nale Foundation, Waheed is able to pursue an and the viewed.” tunities for the promotion of the visual arts in local audiences, and to enrich conversation and interest he became passionate about during his In regards to “The Viewing, The Viewer and the ways that encourage public involvement in the dialogue within the local art scene. undergraduate study: art. As an economics ma- Viewed” what impacted Waheed the most were arts. In our past projects, we have focused on For LB01 we have also commissioned jor, he decided to venture from his traditional these impromptu interactions, which transcend- developing opportunities for creative practi- many new site-specific installations of contem- course load, taking classes in Art History, spe- ed barriers of language, culture, religion and tioners to develop their work and present it to porary art. Some of these engage with the idea cifically the Renaissance period and Surrealism geography. In one instance, a young boy from the local public. We have successfully executed of nature, others work with Lahore’s layered movement. These courses had a great impact on Liberty Market looks into the mirror and sees numerous public-private projects in Lahore and history and diverse geography. Our exhibition him as a student, and his interest naturally grew a group of young Italian girls. He serenades elsewhere during the previous three years. sites include structures with unique architec- as he learned more about the arts from his wife, them with an impromptu folk performance of Along with my team and the board of tural features such as the Shahi Hammam and Sadia, who studied at the National College of Bulley Shah in a language that is utterly foreign the Lahore Biennale Foundation, I am very the Summer Palace at the Lahore Fort, and the Arts (NCA) and teaches there. to them, and brings them to tears. For Waheed, proud to present Lahore Biennale 01, the flag- award-winning modern complex of the Alham- Art is one of those rare forms of expres- The executive board members of the “these are connections that transcend notions of ship event for LBF planned to be held every two ra Art Centre. sion that can inspire passion in a wide range of LBF come from diverse occupations and back- East and West, of otherness. At a time when hu- years. The Biennale also aims to create more people, from the most casual of observer to the grounds, yet each retain a dedicated appreci- man migration has become such a contentious Biennales are large-scale public art awareness in Pakistan of the exciting develop- serious collector or dedicated academic. How- ation of the arts. Ali Naqvi, the Co-Chair of geopolitical issue, these moments are priceless exhibitions that take art beyond the realm of ments taking place in the region. Accordingly, ever, when it comes to expanding the role of the LBF, is based in Hong Kong as Head of Global and powerful responses.” galleries and museums and directly into the another focus of the exhibition and program- arts into the public realm, the role of patrons Markets (Asia-Pacific) for Credit Suisse. Naqvi For Waheed, one of the core objectives public domain. Biennales positively transform ming is to bring the work of artists and the and supporters cannot be overstated. With and his wife Amna are among the most prolific of the LBF is to help restore the space for the perceptions of cities and nations that host them voices of curators and scholars working on their intent of bringing the joy and excitement collectors of Pakistani Art, and the owners of arts in the public domain. The LBF has been and play an important role in the promotion of South and West Asia. We hope these efforts will of a certain genre or artist to the public realm, Islamabad United Cricket Team; Raza Ali Dada doing this through art in public spaces, residen- art and culture. The “Biennale” exhibition for- continue to foster greater mutual understanding the patron embodies the classic ideal that art is an acclaimed architect; Mohsin Hamid, an cies, seminars and workshops in the Arts, and mat was first used in Venice, Italy in 1895: today and cooperation in future. in itself belongs to the people. Osman Khalid internationally celebrated author; Fawzia Naqvi plan to take it a step further through our flag- there are over 150 Biennales held worldwide. Finally, the Biennale and LBF aims to Waheed, co-chair of the Lahore Biennale Foun- is Editor-in-Chief of ArtNow, one of the only ship project, the Lahore Biennale, which aims to All the exhibitions and programs for develop greater institutional expertise in Paki- dation, is one such art-lover. publications dedicated to Pakistani Art, and turn parts of the city of Lahore into a living art LB01 are free and open to the public. The focus stan, by inviting museum curators and person- After graduating from Harvard, he Rafay Alam is an accomplished environmental space every two years. of this inaugural Biennale is on the city of La- nel to LB01 associated with established inter- Artists and Collectives joined Ferozsons Laboratories Limited, a public- lawyer. Another important aim of the Foun- hore, and on the surrounding region of South national cultural institutions to participate in particpating in LB01: ly listed pharmaceutical company in 1993. The In its first two years, the LBF has under- dation is to help conduct primary research and West Asia. LB01. company provides medical solutions for critical Historically, Lahore has been The Biennale and its programs are possible only taken some groundbreaking projects in part- into Pakistani modern and contemporary art. Aisha Khalid |Ali Kazim | Alia Syed | Amar diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and nership with the City District Government of Currently there is a dearth of research material one of the capitals of arts, culture and letters, a by the generous support extended to us from Kanwar |Asad Raza | Asvajit Boyle | Atif Hepatitis C in collaboration of major interna- Lahore and the Punjab Horticulture Authority. available to curators at home and abroad. This city of gardens and monuments. Today, the city the government, private sponsors, and interna- tional pharmaceutical and healthcare compa- These include a wonderful public sculpture at creates a real barrier for museums looking to ex- is home to prominent artists, cultural practi- tional cultural partners. We acknowledge this Khan | Awami Art Collective | Ayesha nies. Istanbul Chowk, “City Within A City” by artist pand their collection and recognize the impor- tioners, music gharanas and art institutions. in humility, and value the trust they have placed Jatoi | Ayesha Sultana | Bani Abidi | CAMP Waheed is clearly deeply involved in his and NCA faculty member Atif Khan, a series tance of Pakistani artists. The LBF announced However, given that Pakistan lacks spaces such upon us in realizing the first Biennale. (Shaina Anand and Ashok Sukumaran) | work in the pharmaceutical industry, but also of bus stops in the city under a project called a research award last year. The recipient of the as museums of contemporary art to showcase David Alesworth | Faiza Butt | Fazal Rizvi | 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES serves on the board of several different institu- ‘Where the Bus Stops’ in collaboration with the first cycle, Saira Ansari, conducted research on Firoz Mahmud | Halil Altindere | tions, including the Lahore University of Man- City District Government of Lahore, and a pub- pioneering artist Zubeida Agha with the sup- Hamra Abbas | Hira Nabi | Huma agement Sciences (LUMS), and of course, The lic art project, “Rooted (Paivasta)” at Lawrence port of LBF and the Asian Art Archive. Waheed Mulji | Iftikhar Dadi & Elizabeth Dadi | Lahore Biennale Foundation. Gardens (Bagh-e-Jinnah) with the support of hopes to continue supporting research into the Imran Qureshi | Kay Walkowiak | Komail Some years ago, Ferozsons Laboratories the British Council and the Punjab Horticul- arts as a means of shedding light on important Aijazuddin | Lala Rukh | Mahbub Shah Limited undertook a collaboration with the ture Authority, with artists Unum Baber and Pakistani artists domestically and abroad. For National College of Arts (NCA), where Waheed Matt Kushan, and the City in Context, with the Waheed, supporting the arts is by far the most |Manisha Gera Baswani | Masooma Syed | would meet the future co-founder and Director support of the Goethe Institut and CKU. These effective way of projecting the soft image of the Mehreen Murtaza | Minam Apang | of the inaugural Biennale, Qudsia Rahim. Their were in large part the result of the extraordinary country and highlighting its immense creative Miniature Painting | Atelier project, “Art for Humanity”, explored the idea work done by Qudsia Rahim, vice chair of LBF potential, which has become increasingly im- (multiple artists) | Muhanned Cader | of art as social function, and brought togeth- who has put the Foundation on a solid footing portant in such politically crucial and intensely Nadia Kaabi-Linke | Naeem Mohaiemen er NCA students from various disciplines to through these initiatives. personal times. | Naila Mahmood | Naima Dadabhoy | create an art intervention in a public hospital. “Our most ambitious public art pro- As the Foundation looks ahead to the Naiza Khan | Noor Ali Chagani | Rasel The mandate required the students to go be- ject to date has been ‘My East is Your West,’ a inaugural edition of the Biennale, there is a lot Chowdhury | Rehana Mangi | Risham Syed yond personal aesthetics and design art-based collateral event by the Gujral Foundation that of excitement in the air. In a city with the his- and Inaam Zafar | Sadia Salim | solutions to resolve practical problems faced by formed part of the Venice Biennale in 2015,” tory and artistic traditions of Lahore, we are patients and doctors. This four-week elective Waheed explains. “With the generous support of bound to experience an art event that is original, Salima Hashmi | Salman Toor | Seema produced some wonderful results, making the Habib Bank Limited LBF executed the Pakistan innovative, and questions the boundaries of the Nusrat | Shahpour Pouyan | Shahzia ward less alienating for patients through the use component, ‘The Viewing, The Viewer and the medium itself! Sikander | Shezad Dawood | Shirin Neshat of art, but also addressed practical challenges Viewed’ of this ground-breaking project. Con- | T Shanaathanan | Waqas Khan | faced by the patients by creating a guidance ceived by leading contemporary artist, Rashid Wardha Shabbir | Zahoor ul Akhlaq | system that allowed patients to easily navigate Rana, the project created a virtual space linking Nour Aslam is currently at the Royal College of Zambeel Dramatic Readings the crowded ward, and using crates and bro- a purpose-built structure in the heart of Liberty Art, continuing her studies in the masters course, ken furniture to create a dining and recreation Market, Lahore to an identical room in a palaz- Curating Contemporary Art.

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES space for use by patients and their families. The Image Courtesy, Iftikhar Dadi 4 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 5

Editorial | February 2018 Editorial | March 2018 Ali Naqvi Kimihide Ando Guest Editor Guest Editor he $450mn paid for the recently sold painting of Leonardo da ‘Ok, that makes sense. But isn’t paying $450mn too much for t is difficult to describe art as a subject, because art is a lot more Unfiltered and striking, Iqbal Husain paints what the society wants to Vinci, which went on public display at its permanent home in only this reason?’, would be the next logical question. than a mere topic; art is life itself. Japanese art can be traced back hide. It is only through someone like Husain, who is unafraid of using Louvre Abu Dhabi on 21st December 2017, continues to gen- So let’s do some simple maths. to 10 century BC. Most Japanese art endures the mark of wide- his birth in Heera Mandi as a subject for his work, that these harsh realit erate global interest. The subsequent disclosure that the buyer The benefit to a city (or a country) of displaying such a painting spread contact with or rejoinder to external forces. Buddhism was -ies can be reflected on in the form of a painting. His work carries with Tis none other than an oil-rich, Middle Eastern country, has added fuel is both economic as well as qualitative (soft image). Let’s forget about Ithe most obstinate stimulus providing Japan with a deep-rooted ico- it a mystifying message which mesmerizes you so completely that you to the fire. The resultant reviews have ranged from amazement at just the soft image and focus on hard numbers. nography while nurturing a liaison between the visual arts and spiritual simply cannot take your eyes off. the hefty figure itself, to taking a dig at possible market manipulations in The economic benefits will be direct as well as indirect to Abu expansion. On the other hand Pakistani Art is relatively new with Paki- Another Pakistani painter I admire greatly is Anwar Jalal auctions, to humanity based comparisons (how many lives could have Dhabi. stan in its 70 years of independence. Though still a young country it is Shemza. I had the privilege of enjoying his art at Tate Britain, London been saved with this money), to religiously motivated comparisons (Pal- The direct benefit will be driven by the number of visitors the rooted into a rich and diverse cultural heritage which blossoms from the in 2015. To me, his art seems to bring together different aspects of estine vs Mundi) to the ‘oil rich’ Arab driven puns (‘easy come, easy go’). painting will attract every year and the ticket charged by the museum. magnificent Indus Valley Civilization which dated back to 4 century BC. calligraphy, Mughal architecture, and European abstract art in a perfect There is a near (or full) consensus that the price paid for the Abu Dhabi had 4.4 million visitors (who checked into a hotel) in 2016. However, somewhere along the years the country has been rife with po- balance. He is geometrically a greater and well-disciplined blend of Joan painting does not make any economic (or any other) sense. They expect the number to go to eight million by 2020 (and likely to be litical upheaval thereby putting a severe halt to the cultural and artistic Miro and Wassily Kandinsky. I beg to differ. around 15 million by 2025-27). progress of the nation at large. To talk about two Pakistani artists alone will be unfair as there As absurd as it may sound, the recently record breaking sale of Leonar- Half of the people who visit Paris go to the Louvre. So it is safe In a country like Pakistan, art is considered a luxury known to a are many more who have carved a niche for themselves in the world do Da Vinci’s painting ‘Salvator Mundi’ makes perfect sense. to assume that at least half of the people who visit Abu Dhabi will visit limited segment of society. Visiting the houses of my Pakistani friends of art and taken the global scene by storm. From Ustad Allah Baksh Let me explain why. the museum. Although, it is most likely that, the proportion in Abu is always a pleasure and honor for me, not only because of the immense to Chughtai, from Anna Molka to Laila Shehzada and from Shakeel Any purchase we make inherently serves two purposes – quali- Dhabi will be much higher as Al-Saadiyat will be the main attraction hospitality I always receive from the hosts, but also because of the nu- Siddiqui to Shahzia Sikander the Pakistani soil boasts of innumerable tative (pleasure) and quantitative (economic value). All our actions are unlike Paris which has numerous other attractions. But nonetheless, we merous breathtaking pieces of art that adorn the walls of their houses. artists par excellence. The arts have taken a strong foothold in the aca- either for pleasure only, or value only or for a combination of the two. are looking at four million to eight million visitors every year between It is ironic though, that art in Pakistan is considered as extrava- demic world with formal art education firmly carving a sturdy niche for Eating in a restaurant or watching theatre is purely qualitative (there is 2020-2027. gance enjoyed by a few due to the fact that the most renowned masters itself. no storage of economic value). Depositing your savings in a bank on the On top, there are numerous visitors who don’t check into hotels of painting have emerged from the nooks and crannies of the lowest seg- With the burgeoning of galleries within Pakistan and with the other hand is purely a quantitative exercise (storage of economic value). but rather arrange day trips from nearby cities, especially from Dubai ments of society. These masters paint the complexities of their soul into global market showcasing works of Pakistani artists-from the masters to And then there are things in the middle. which gets 15 million visitors every year. their work; they paint what they grew up watching, they paint what they the contemporaries- I feel quite privileged to be in the midst of Pakistan A number of our purchases are driven by both factors. Normal- Also, Abu Dhabi airport receives 15 million passengers every see through their eyes, and they paint what they envision in their minds. to witness this progress. The artworks are real treats to your eyes, brain, ly, the smaller the ticket size the higher the proportion of qualitative year (most of them in transit). With the ‘hook’ in place, some propor- By looking at their art, you are able to see how they have put their soul and spirits - simply amazing. factors, like buying clothes, etc. As the ticket size goes up, the propor- tion of that would be converted into staying over for a day or two in the and spirit into their work. tion of qualitative variables in decision making goes down. You may city to visit the museum. One such example is the art of Iqbal Husain - an artist born love a particular car, but you will still (hopefully!) look at its operating So we can expect between 4-6 million foreign visitors to the mu- and raised in the somewhat notorious red light district of Lahore. With Kimihide Ando is Senior Vice President of Mitsubishi Corporation. costs, resale value etc before deciding on which car to choose. But our seum by 2020 and 8-10 million by 2025-27. women as his main subject, his work screams of the realities of the area. non-economic factors still play a role. In the purchase of your first The ticket (at AED60 per person) revenue alone from the visits house, though it should be purely a quants based decision (will the eco- will be more than $80 million by 2020 and around $150mn by 2025-27. nomic value go up in future), part of the decision making is qualitative So even assuming that the total project costs to be north of $2bn (ar- Photo Essay |March 2018 too (how much we ‘love’ the house). And for this qualitative side, we are rangement with Louvre, Mundi’s cost, construction costs), the return to willing to compromise on pure quants based decision making. the government will be mid-to-high single digits (net of operating costs) Art is at the extreme abstract end of this tussle between qualita- within the first 5-10 year from Museum revenues alone. tive and quantitative mix. If the above numbers have surprised you and made you sit up, In popular belief, art is still mostly seen as a form of creativity read this: the indirect revenue impact of this initiative will be even big- and expression, truly abstract in nature and without any economic driv- ger. Stealing a Look into the Infintesimal ers behind it. Partly that is true and is influenced by headline grabbing When Governments decide on projects, they not only look at news of some rich person buying a very expensive Picasso or a Monet the direct profitability of the projects but also their indirect impact on by Zoya Nadeem or a Kooning and putting it in storage, never to be seen again. How does the economy as a whole (how the projects will stimulate the rest of the that make sense? It mostly doesn’t. economy). At the same time, we choose to ‘ignore’ the entire Museum Each visitor to Abu Dhabi on average spends 2.7 nights in the The act of viewing and reflecting ‘industry’ when millions of us go and visit museums around the world city (2016) and average spent by an ‘art visitor’ will be in the range of at upon is an inward process which is highly

every year. The Louvre in Paris alone receives more than seven million least $150-200 per day. So an incremental 5 million visitors spending personal, and so is the subsequent medium 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES visitors every year at ten euros a pop. You do the maths! on average two nights in Abu Dhabi will potentially add $1-2bn to Abu with which I have created this series.For Let’s come back to Salvator Mundi and Abu Dhabi. Dhabi’s economy by 2020 (3-6% of GDP) and more than $3-4bn by me that medium is macro photography. It is public knowledge that Abu Dhabi is developing the biggest 2025. A technique that lets me present what ‘art destination’ in its part of the hemisphere at its ‘Al Saadiyat’ island. So for Abu Dhabi, it makes perfect sense! This is driven by pure intrigues me the most. There is an entire This will include amongst other things, a ‘Louvre Museum’ containing economics, no emotion, no ‘free petro dollars’ at work! universe of details and spaces that goes unattended by our everyday observations. over 900 works of art and managed by the Louvre staff. Abu-Dhabi is No wonder Qatar was the other main bidder. They would have Sometimes, the most mundane objects reportedly paying close to US$1.2 billion over 30 years to Louvre for the done the same homework and would have known that the acquisition can appear unusual and attractive when arrangement. of Mundi along with the Museum of Islamic Art would have cement- looked closely. Nature has been a source The facilities were opened with great fanfare in November 2017 ed their position in the art world and provided strong ‘hooks’ against of profound inspiration for me. In these but the view on its success was still mixed and the whole initiative was Al-Sasdiyat. photos, I have captured nature from an seen as a very large and high risk bet on attracting visitors. Yes it will be And if you are still wondering about Mundi’s price, compare it angle that appreciates its infinitesimal geographically more accessible to a very large pool of population, but it to the other Leonardo – ‘Mona Lisa’. A price of $450mn for Mundi looks details. Upon looking, we realize that these was not a ‘must see’. like a bargain given that the Mona Lisa was insured for $100mn in 1962. are entire captivating landscapes, experi- I would consider myself as an ardent follower of art and even Taking inflation into account, that value today will be around $800mn! ences and journeys within themselves. By I was not in a ‘rush’ to go and visit this museum. Yes it had 900 works How many purchases do you know which start giving you 10% an indirect way of expression, with hints of (including 300 from French institutions including the Louvre) but so return within a few years, add 3-5% to your annual top line, make your reality, which act as an anchor to the actual subject, I have created a series of nature’s what. Louvre has over 35,000 works of art and I can go and see them city a global destination and is a globally recognised store of value? Very hidden beauty. at the Louvre. Compare this to Qatar’s Islamic Art Museum which is a very few, I’ll say. ‘must see’ as it has the best publicly displayed collection of Islamic Art Well done Abu Dhabi! If only I had the money, I would have bid more anywhere in the world. aggressively, beaten you. If only! So Qatar had the ‘hook’: the best Islamic Art Museum. Abu Dhabi had no hook; until they bought Salvator Mundi The speed with which Salvator Mundi has become one of the most Zoya Nadeem is an artist and photographer from Karachi, Pakistan. Ali Naqvi is Executive Chairman of Global Markets at APAC Credit Suiss- famous and recognisable paintings in the world (thanks to technology Currently, she is working as the Gallery Manager at Foundation for too), Al-Saadiyat has become a ‘must visit’ art and tourist destination. es; Owner of Islamabad United and Co-Founder of the AAN Collection.

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Museum of Modern Art (FOMMA) 6 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 7 resourcefulness of its artists. The artist and mobility – eluding to a large extent the collective of Atis-Rezistans has organised public they ought ideally to engage. This can The Ghetto Biennale in the Haitian capital, in turn reinforce the more-or-less prevalent In Focus | October 2017 Port-au-Prince, since 2009. They seek pri- association of art with luxury. marily to introduce international contempo- Over the years, different instalments rary art to artists working in Haiti, who are of different biennales have experienced often self-taught and unable to experience other complications as well, and provoked new media and new market trends. But other discussions. The debacle surround- the unique context of the biennale has also ing Kenya’s first participation in the Venice prompted a dialogue in the art world on Biennale of 2013 – which saw ten foreign The Biennale, the City, social and racial inequality and immobility. and a mere two national artists representing While central, renowned cities may Kenya – opened up discussions on how the have started hosting biennales in a bid to platform can be manipulated for neo-colo- keep reinventing themselves and the appeal nial agendas. Many biennales have eschewed they held for tourists, for many smaller or the Venetian format of having national pa- more peripheral cities, the trend promised vilions altogether, choosing instead to invest the Future publicity and attention that they had not in the power of politically urgent themes to received before. Holding a biennial art event unite works from all over the world. by Dua Abbas Rizvi would allow smaller or remoter cities to As the year draws to a close, two connect with the wider art community on of Pakistan’s major cities prepare for the a regular basis; it would bring an influx of inaugurations of their respective biennales. visitors and promote local businesses with- The Karachi Biennale, with the word ‘Wit- out the hosting bodies having to circum- ness’ at its core, is scheduled to take place navigate too much red tape – as can happen in October this year. The Lahore Biennale with organising other cultural events. In the will follow in February 2018. These past two most idealistic sense, a biennale can help years have seen the founding bodies of both bring together a city that has undergone initiate a range of cultural activities and aux- zoning, partitioning, the territorial segrega- iliary events – comprising talks, public art tion of minority groups, the displacement of commissions, exhibitions, and workshops certain communities from their neighbour- – in an effort to mobilise the creative circles hoods, an increase in gated communities, and generate interest in the laity. The venues and any other of the less salubrious effects of that have been and will be involved in- urbanisation. clude public spaces, historic buildings, and But despite being a feasible tool for communal centres. The biennales promise cultural development, the biennale has also to display and disseminate local and inter- courted its share of controversies and prob- national art outside the perimeter of the lems. A recent debate, for example, ques- gallery and in the public arena. For two of tions whether or not the art world’s numer- the most rapidly developing cities of a coun- ous biennales have become exclusive events, try that just celebrated its seventieth year of set up by and for a small, mobile and elite independence, the model of the biennial art portion of the populace only. It is feared exhibition holds immense potential. that most biennales turn into high-end gatherings of curators, gallery owners, col- Dua Abbas Rizvi is a visual artist and writer lectors, connoisseurs, and artists of means based in Lahore, Pakistan.

Credits: Vik Muniz, Lampedusa, 56th Venice Biennale 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES he dated tradition of The Grand Tour The Cold War and its aftermath culture. The widespread effects of superpow- provided the mobile classes of Eng- er rivalry included the urbanisation of cities land with an opportunity to travel are partially credited for the around the world that were geographically or the Continent, view its art and archi- boom in recurrent art events politically strategic. Many became the urban Ttecture, experience its culture, and relive a little centres, which they are today, and the idea of a of its history. Young men – privileged, moneyed, like biennales that subscribe to cultural event that would involve the whole city able – and, occasionally, women of means would the concept of the city as a hub and reinforce its image as a proud bastion of embark on these trips and survey the choicest tradition and innovation gained appeal. Istanbul selection of masterpieces, artefacts, and ruins, of modernity and culture. has attempted to present itself as such an insti- which Europe had to offer. Although The Grand tution. The Istanbul Biennale was launched in Tour all but disappeared as a custom around -Dua Abbas Rizvi 1987 as a means of reviewing a historic, trans- the second half of the nineteenth century, it continental metropolis in a new light. The title would be interesting to see the modern biennale the prestige, repute, and authority that has led heralding its inception to the world was self-ex- as fulfilling a similar purpose: educating and the term ‘biennial/biennale’ to become nearly planatory – ‘Contemporary Art in Traditional enriching the public (admittedly, some factions synonymous with the Venice Biennale. It is not, Spaces’. of it more than others) through the times’ most however, the only biennale of the contemporary In other cases, the biennale would be pertinent art, gathered together in one place. art world, as it was for a long time. Between 200 used as a medium for change or to deliver a Of course, the analogy works only thinly and 300 such events now take place in cities political message. The Biennale of the Mediter- as the motivations behind organising and host- ranging from the historic and famed Istanbul ranean, hosted by Alexandria, Egypt, in 1955, ing a biennale, especially in the present day and to the tiny and obscure islet of La Biche off the was anti-colonial and anti-imperial in charac- age, is multifarious and ever changing. Simply, coast of Guadeloupe. ter, in keeping with the political climate of the the biennale is a large-scale art exhibition that The Cold War and its aftermath are region then. More recently, initiatives like Haiti’s takes place every two years. The first took place partially credited for the boom in recurrent Ghetto Biennale have started challenging nega- in Venice in 1895, where it has, notwithstanding art events like biennales that subscribe to the tive perceptions of the country by revealing the

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES a few suspensions, continued and also accrued concept of the city as a hub of modernity and gritty, vibrant art being made therein, and the 8 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 9 Cultural Affairs, every two years at the Bangla- round art related activities into a single concen- Square. The curator had to maneuver, push back desh Shilpakala Academy. The fourth edition of trated event to make it possible for a global au- and give way, when needed, to make the event the event is scheduled to be held from 2 Febru- dience to experience the art scene of a particular possible. In such situations the role of the cura- In Focus | October 2017 ary – 10 February 2018. region, has again fragmented into project-styled tor becomes extremely difficult. Asia is going through an upheaval that activities. What remains to be seen is how far Or, the curator may take the opposite can herald-in a new Asian century in the art this discursive model can be stretched before it approach of and keep the Biennale completely world. This is already apparent with the expan- fails the purpose of a Biennale and gets reduced aloof from any set political agenda to demon- sion of the art market in Russia, China, India, to a general art scene. strate that art is above politics and provides Dubai, Abu Dhabi and South Korea. Beijing As a site and time specific organism a safe unprejudiced space for discourse. For rivals New York in the opening of new art gal- leries. There are 1200 museums under construc- tion in China alone. Africa and Latin America Biennale: A Neo-Political may be the next to follow Asia’s example. Even in Pakistan, a country interna- tionally known for its nuclear arsenal, political corruption and terror networks, two art fairs have been scheduled to be held in the two major Phenomenon cities (Lahore and Karachi). The first Karachi Biennale, with the title ‘Witness’, is scheduled to be held from 22 October – 5 November 2017, by Julius John Alam while the Lahore Biennale, previously scheduled for 2018 might be delayed due to a rift between the Lahore Biennale Foundation and the cura- torial team. Karachi being the pub of Pakistani • Credits: Song DONG Mandala City for Eating (2017). Photo: Zeenat Nagree term was popularized by Venice Biennale held in 1895, which was also the world’s first such art art market, the Karachi Biennale will make use exhibition. The Venice Biennale was a prototype of the network of art galleries and their regu- for the other fairs that followed suit. Now there lar clientele, to make the event a success, while are more than 150 biennales worldwide. Some Lahore Biennale would be more spread out and of the world’s most famous Biennales include centered around the art academy due to the Beijing Biennale, Berlin Biennale, Liverpool presence of Pakistan’s two biggest art colleges Biennale, Sharjah Biennale, Venice Biennale (National College of Arts and Beaconhouse and Whitney Biennale. The Biennale Founda- National University) in Lahore. tion was established in 2009 and the first World Recently, there has been a trend in using Credits: VeniceBiennale, J Oliver Croy and Oliver Elser, The 387 Houses of Peter Fritz Biennial Forum took place in 2012. A journal the hosting city as a backdrop or framework for dealing with the Biennale phenomenon by the commissioning and curating projects for the Bi- responsible for bringing together state players, example, when Chto Delat, in solidarity with name of Seismopolite was first printed in 2011. ennale. This trend is apparent in the “City” as a museum and gallery directors, curators, artists, the Peace March in Moscow, withrew from The Eurocentric model of Biennales recurring theme in the manifestos of Biennales, media and public on a large scale, the Biennale Manifesta 10 that was to be held at State Her- came under challenge as the art market expand- for example, Lahore Biennale, Karachi Biennale, becomes a site of contestation where different mitage Museum, Petersburg, the curator Kasper ed into regions previously considered marginal- Kathmandu Triennale, etc. groups maneuver and strategize for greater Konig refused to cancel the Biennale in protest, ized. The Havana Biennial (1984) is considered Another new model that has come representation and advancement of their own emphasizing that the Biennale could be “mis- a pivotal moment in this regard, when the art up is the organization of discursive activities self-righteous agendas. Keeping the above in used by political actors as a platform for their scene broadened beyond Europe and North centered around the Biennale as a pivot. As mind, a curator may take an activist approach own self-righteous representation,” and adding America. Ranjit Hoskote has said, a biennale is “a discur- and through his curatorial vision, may open up that “it is [his] hope that to present far more In recent years, there has been a pro- sive environment, a theatre that allows for the conversations about a specific socio-political than just commentary on the present political liferation of Biennales all over the world, es- staging of arguments, speculations and inves- problem in reference to the site. Hedwig Fijen, circumstances” [http://manifesta.org/2014/03/ pecially in regions previously considered to tigations concerning the nature of our shared, the Director of Manifesta 10, wrote in his state- manifesta-10-will-stay-in-st-petersburg/] This be on the peripheries as far as the art market diversely veined, and demanding contemporary ment: “Biennials, like Manifesta, should play a brings to mind a comment by the Pakistani art is concerned. Gwangju Biennial was the first condition.” One such example is the vision of n the art world, there is a constant nego- century provided a prototype for the modern vital role in helping us better understand our critic, Quddus Mirza, which I have heard him Biennale to be held in Asia in 1995, just two the previous curator, Rashid Rana, for the 2018 tiation between two poles: poiesis (poetic art fair. While the overt desire was to provide place in this complex world. Biennials need to voice a number of times. He says that it is a years after the democratic government was Lahore Biennale. It is interesting to see that the production) and oikonomia (management a venue for a proliferation of arts and crafts, a prove their relevance to today’s issues in society, good thing that the Pakistani government is not elected in 1993. A number of biennales have Biennale format which came into existence in of poetic production). A curator is some- covert goal was the affirmation of the hosting and to involve an audience in a critical dialogue interested in art; yes, it creates financial prob- sprung up in the South Asian region as well. order to converge and squeeze discursive year I one who connects these two poles. Two country as the hub of power and culture. This that is not just about what they do, but why lems but at least it keeps censorship out. These include Dhaka Art Summit, Kathmandu further roles are those of the audience and the is the common agenda of capitalism and con- they do it.” [http://manifesta.org/2014/03/state- As biennales proliferate all over the Triennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale and India

buyers. A Biennale is a large-scale event that sumer culture, that is to dissipate itself through ment-hedwig-fijen-director-of-manifesta-10/] world, their effect remains to be seen on the 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Art Fair. Founded in 2008, India Art Fair was puts all these stakeholders in a blender and spectacle [Guy Debord, Society of Spectacle], Federica Martini, in ‘Just Another Exhibition: regions in the peripheries and also in countries the first in the region. The inaugural edition of blends them up. The Biennale’s aim is to bring and even use its own critique to its advantage by Histories and Politics of Biennials’ (2011), writes where the art market is estranged from the rest the Kathmandu Triennale titled ‘The City, My aesthetic and sensory world into a solitary, swallowing it up. that “what is at stake in contemporary biennales of society and where governments are at best Studio/The City, My Life’, organized by Siddhar- didactic space. While an arts festival features the arts in is the diplomatic/international relations poten- disinterested in the scene, and at the worst, tha Art Foundation (SAF), opened in March The oldest arts festivals, including The a wide sense of the word, a Biennale is a specific tial as well as urban regeneration plans. Besides actively pursue an agenda of censorship and 2017 (24 March – 9 April 2017). It builds on the Three Choirs Festival (1719) and the Norfolk type of arts festival that exclusively features the being mainly focused on the present, because control. Whatever the outcome, it is definitely past successes of Kathmandu International Art and Norwich Festival (1772), were held in Eng- contemporary visual arts. Biennale is an Italian of their site-specificity cultural events may refer an exciting time for artists in countries like Pa- Festival held in 2009 and 2012, both of which land. The Great Exhibition (1851) held at the word for “biennial” which means “every other back to, produce or frame the history of the site kistan, where for the first time, the west is going were extremely successful. The Dhaka Art Sum- Crystal Palace, London, can be seen as the first year”. So the Biennale is any event that happens and communities’ collective memory”. In the to fly to see an art fair and not the other way mit (DAS) was founded in 2012 by the Samdani attempt by a world power (the British empire every two years. Within the art world, the term wake of political opposition to the 19th Sydney around. My only word of advice for the organ- Art Foundation – who continue to produce the in this case) to affirm its spectacular wealth is used to refer to any recurrent large-scale Biennale, Julian Meyrick wrote to one of the isers is that the biennale should connect with festival – in collaboration with the Ministry of and high taste. The world fairs held in the 19th international contemporary art exhibition. The Ministers: “Whatever happens in politics ends the local community at large and should not up in the arts. That’s because it’s artist’s job to become another exquisite product of the east be socially responsive. So no Fake Shock when that we present to the west. Making it accessible art ends up as a battleground for the issues of for Pakistanis may mean a compromise on the the day. This socially responsive role for artists quality and standard (for example, the signage is the one envisioned by Engberg in Istanbul. A may be done in Urdu as well as English), but the nation’s political climate ought to be mirrored in only way to make it successful in the long run is an event such as the Sydney Biennale. Another the take on board the local stakeholders. If this such biennale that unfolded amidst political tur- is not the top priority then it may become just moil is the 13th Istanbul Biennial titled ‘Mom, another spot for only the elite to hang out and Am I Barbarian?’ (14 September – 20 October exhibit their refined tastes in art and culture to 2013), curated by Fulya Erdemci. At the time each other. protests had erupted in Turkey following the Julius John Alam is an artist and writer Artwork courtesy, Warda Shabbir demolition of Gezi Park on Istanbul’s Taksim 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES based in Lahore, Pakistan. 10 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 11 experiencing art in Pakistan. Biennale is the beautiful NJV School Building engaging, entertaining, mesmerising, and mysti- His most ambitious endeavour is the located in one of the busiest arteries of Kara- fying Karachi’s hungry audiences that are ready first ever Karachi Biennale 2017. The much-an- chi, M. A. Jinnah Road. Other locations in the and waiting to ‘witness’. Profile | October 2017 ticipated event is due in October and Amin, as downtown area include, Pioneer Books, Capri Syed Ammad Tahir is a scholar at the Indus the chief curator has embarked on a challenge Cinema, Jamshed Memorial Hall (Theosophical Valley School of Art and Architecture. that will shape and profess the trajectories art Society), 63 Commisariat, Claremont House from Pakistan, particularly, Karachi will take. and Frere Hall along with FOMMA Trust, IVS Steering the complex and fascinating ship of Gallery, Alliance Frances, Karachi School of Art artists participating in the event, in an interest- and the Rangoonwala Hall in other parts of the ing direction Amin has chosen the thematic of city. Witness for them to respond to. “Giving them a In the biennale Amin has also three Amin Gulgee: curator of point of departure”, the chief curator has opened international guest curators, Paolo DeGrandes up a world of ideas which could possibly yield from Venice, SPARCK and Carlos in a bid to exciting and unpredictable outcomes. Staying bring in art from Italy, Africa and South Amer- true to his curatorial ethos he has kept the call ica. The biennale has also organised non-official open to everyone with participations from residencies for artists from South Asia and its hundreds of local and international artists. One diaspora which will be hosted at Sanat Initiative Karachi Biennale, 2017 might surmise, that like his previous attempts, and Vasl Artists’ Collective. With untiring lob- this time too responses and processes of artists bying and personal coercion Amin has managed by Syed Ammad Tahir will draw a variety of reactions and emotions to gather a large number of local and interna- from his audience. Amin has formed a dynamic tional artists, to whom he expresseses immense team of experts and young individuals to work gratitude, which make the upcoming event alongside with him on this mighty project. His appear to be rich and ripe with flavour. While core team consists of Zarmeene Shah, curator at he has legitimate concerns over funding that his large, who holds master’s in critical and curato- project lacks, the chief of the biennale has man- rial studies from the University of Columbia in aged to turn that hindrance into the project’s Establishing a relationship with New York and is currently heading the liberal strength through capturing this one moment in arts programme at IVS, as well as artist and de- time that brings in both energy and innocence. Syrian bowls, vessels and or- signer, Sara Pagganwala, Humayun Memon and With so much pain and loss that the naments Amin Gulgee’s sculp- Zeerak Ahmed as his assistant curators along city has suffered, the biennale it seems will not with Adam Fahi-Majeed as curatorial team shy away from presenting that same energy and tures express a desire to appro- members. Together they contribute to the mak- response, immersed in that emotive experience. priate a tradition and an art ing of one of the most exciting contemporary One can almost foresee this major art event art events in Karachi’s history with 12 locations form that was already his own and sites that represent the turbulent and alive and explicitly familiar. For him aspect of the city. The several exhibitions that Amin hopes this was an appropriation of his to put up at these locations are not themati- childhood. cally divided but will serve as a self-contained microcosm of visual sensibilities that work as a whole. This decision is admirable as it does not min Gulgee has long be known in the seclude or isolate a location in the city accord- art world for his quirky and ubiqui- ing to its demographic but encompasses all and everything as one, akin to Karachi’s interwoven tous art events, which have always Photo Essay | ‘A Walk with Dada’ by Zoila Solomon sought to bridge gaps and fill vacu- actuality actuality. The prime venue for the See more on page 8... Aums that are present in Karachi’s art scene. He was born in 1967 in Karachi, Pakistan and went to the US for his higher education in 1987. With a degree from Yale in Art History and another in Economics Amin’s first interest in art was established through jewellery. He has had an intensive jewellery making practice producing jewellery that has been worn by celebrities and icons as well as ordinary people. While his jew-

ellery remained one of the most successful and 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES sought after functional objects, his sculptures are no less. He describes their translations into sculpture as somewhat expected as these were a desire to appropriate a tradition and an art spots for the youth, Amin created a platform for almost like maquette models for what was to form that was already his own and explicitly the several artists keen on having their voices come later as a practice immersed in the making familiar. For him this was an appropriation of being heard and “seen” by a larger audience. of larger sculptural objects. This transition took his childhood. He fondly remembers his father, Carving new narratives through his curatorial place in 2007 when the artist devoted himself one of the highly esteemed painting maestros ventures Amin along with his contemporaries entirely to metal sculpture that incorporated of Pakistan, Ismail Gulgee, whose calligraphies established an artists’ collective, Vasl, which glass, wire, nuts, bolts, and other found objects. are iconic reversions of the customary practice. was to reinvigorate the art scene in Karachi, Recalling his memories from the time Amin’s work too forsakes the traditional as he with the city as the loci of artistic developments. spent in the West, Gulgee became interested rewrites Islamic art history at a time when its Furthering on the curiosity with the city and its in the history of Islamic art and discovered the documentation in our own region and context urbanity, Amin curated an object based show immense research and investigations western was limited. called ‘Dish Dhamaka’ in 2002, featuring around scholars have undertaken. Western interpre- Between 1996 and 2000 Amin’s interest 30 artists dealing with the idea of globalisation tation of artistic traditions from the Muslim in emerging contemporary artists in Pakistan through articulating their responses to the satel- world, particularly within the South Asian began to foster and thrive as he embarked on lite culture. context led him to more vigorous speculation the journey of presenting new and alternative In recent years Amin Gulgee has annual- towards the void of critical and intellectual re- histories of the art scene through engaging with ly curated several art exhibitions at his personal sponse to Islamic art, specifically calligraphy, in the young generation of artists. He took on a gallery surveying a variety of themes and prac- Pakistan. Taking ownership of the calligraphic more curatorial role and organised an exhibition tices. From the proliferation of performance art art form and probing its formal characteristics called ‘Urban Voices’ showcasing fresh grad- in Pakistan as a viable medium, to exploration the artist ventured into three-dimensional ren- uates from major art schools in Pakistan. At a of memory in The 70s Show: Pakistan’s Radio- ditions of the text, reclaiming the poetics of the time when hotels like Sheraton (now Movenpick active Decade as well as Dreamscape, Amin has art form through sculpture. He established a re- Hotel) were semi-public spaces and as hang out set in motion an unstoppable culture of

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES lationship with Syrian bowls and vessels evoking 12 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 13

Photo Essay | February 2018 A Walk with Dada

by Zoila Solomon

Dear Dada,

I remember patiently waiting for the clock to strike 4.30pm. I remember you coming home from a tiring day at work after finally climbing the spiralling staircase of Mughal Chambers. I would wait for you to freshen up and then greet you with a tight hug and a kiss and eagerly ask you,

“Dada, can we please go for a walk?”

I knew you were tired but I hoped against hope that you wouldn’t refuse, and you never did, despite the fact that you were so exhausted,

you never did.

You saw your six year old niece crossing her fingers behind her back with eyes beaming with hope and excitement and you always said with a smiling face

“Come on, lets go!”

never showing how drained out you were. I remember starting our walk by buying “bhu- tta” from the “bhuttay wala” who would stand underneath our apartment everyday,

or

Some days we would switch from “bhutta” to chips and Polo from the “paan wala”. Zoila Solomon is a fine artist During our entire walk, my questions about from Karachi. She currently 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES every thing that fascinated me were endless but practices miniature painting, you answered each and every one tirelessly and photography and works as the in full detail. From walking past the colourful assistant curator at Mohatta houses in the Hindu neighbourhood to standing Palace Museum, Karachi. in front of the “chai wala” and watching him ‘A Walk with Dada’ is based on pour chai in a brightly coloured cup. I always the memories spent with her wondered, what would happen if the chai would beloved late uncle. Growing fall while he was pouring it from cup to cup, up in a joint family, a majority but you said he was experienced that he would of her time was spent with him never let the chai spill. and she affectionately called him Dada, meaning father. “Experience” was a big word for me and I re- member asking you what it meant, it was a new word added to my vocabulary. I remember you always holding my hand and there. Thank you for taking me on long walks even never letting me out of your sight as we walked, though you were drained after a long day of making me feel safe from the big red building to Our journey would end at the VCR shop at the work the old abandoned house that I would get scared end of the lane. If I had been a well behaved girl to walk past. at school you would rent cartoons for me from And thank you for showing me around Com- the shop, after which we would make our way missariat Lines, like no one else could. On our walks, I would silently pray that you back to our apartment. would stop at Yaqoob uncle’s shop to buy a few groceries because it was the only shop that sold Dada, thank you for patiently hearing all my Love always, my favourite milk toffees and you always re- stories. Zoila membered to buy them for me if you ever went 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 14 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 15 has allowed us to include a trajectory of artists how the artists address the challenge of doing a have a cultural inclining and this would be who are experimental and innovative as well. convincing body of work – and the biennale will more sustainable than putting all your effort be able to make them realize this pitfall if they’re into strategizing with the government. Profile | November 2017 VR: Speaking of international artists, as part not successful as the vast amount and divere of KB Discursive for KB17, there is a special range of audiences present. VR: The participating individuals in the section on South American art. That’s an un- biennale reaches beyond the artists and the usual connection which Pakistani artists and VR: As we look at the mapping of Karachi and curators. With your educational programs, writers haven’t really researched upon. Aside its ever expansive nature and planning, it’s discursive events and community building from South America, there’s a vast range of easy to say it’s a very difficult city to navigate how has your outreach program taken off as art practices from all over the world who will around. How has the KB17 team taken this part of KB17? Niilofur Farrukh: be participating in the biennale – how do you into consideration when selecting the loca- select these international artists and intellec- tions for the biennale? NF: We’ve been working at many levels – we tuals? have created a community of partners who will NF: The architecture, commercialization and bring visitors, religious groups, and education- CEO, Managing Trustee and Chair of NF: The KB17 team itself is extremely diverse residential spaces of Karachi have really come al groups to the sites. We anticipate around a in their approaches and ideas and to be honest, into play for the biennale. For over a 100 years, 100 school children visiting from Monday to a biennale team should be very different from M.A. Jinnah has been the main artery of Kara- Thursday and for 2 years we’ve been conducting each other because that’s how you can harness chi. You have the NJV School, Capri Cinema workshops at schools letting them know about the Discursive Committee for different resources and multiple energies to and Pioneer Book Shop. Jamshed Memorial and the multiple forms of art which are present in reach out and create a wider circle of participat- 63 Commissariat which are all locations ex- the biennale and asking these young students to ing artists. The people who are here in Karachi tremely close by that are connected by this main volunteer and be a part of the biennale. We’ve are bringing their own visions and their prac- artery. Leading up to these sites, you will come allocated the weekends for families with art Karachi Biennale, 2017 tices to the biennale, and so, there’s a critical across Claremont House and Frere Hall. So activities. We have made an effort to get people by Veera Rustomji and the infrastructure that one needs to have practice – which is where I focus on for KB Dis- there actually is a planned route in this chaotic together through the KB Discursive events by for a biennale in terms of expertise, space and cursive. My own practice has been very much mass of a city! discussing literature, critical thinking and art financial support, is just not ready in Karachi. In into examining the status quo and the estab- As post-colonial city, which was divided practices around the globe. In conversation with Niilofur Farrukh, the CEO, developing countries people will always validate lished institutes who play a role in the growth into elite locations and still is, Karachi has to be Managing Trustee and Chair of the Discur- that the Corporate Social Responsibility money of the art sphere but then they tend to handicap looked at socially and not just geographically. VR: Finally, what do you hope to see emanat- sive Committee for the Karachi Biennale 2017 should be allocated towards health and educa- the system as well. These power structures are Hence I’m hoping that the viewers who will be ing out from all this hard work once KB17 (KB17). She lends an insight into the backstage tion, which is fair enough, but then again one very entrenched and I thought for the biennale navigating around this city will be more aware ends? activities and more importantly, the philosophy must realize that art is a way of building knowl- and KB Discursive it was important to ques- of the societal changes in geography around the behind having a contemporary art event as ex- edge. Art is about learning the unknown and it’s tion these systems. While I have studied a lot city. While it’s incredibly romantic to sit in your NF: I do think we will really start to see results pansive as KB17, in Karachi. about creating an informed vibrant society who about South Asian and post-colonial histories own space at home and think about the vastness after the third biennale – the first two are still participates and engages. who look at post-colonial practices, there are of your city, to get onto the roads and under- going to be a form of us improving ourselves Veera Rustomji (VR): Let’s begin by under- When one travels on vacations, you will parallel dialogues in Latin America. Unfortu- stand that city is really a different experience. A and understanding how to grow. I feel that for standing when and how the idea of the Kara- inevitably visit museums and festivals because nately, when Western writers analyse our work, lot of people will have to un-learn some habits KB17, we have set out to create a larger audience chi Biennale came about; talk us through the that’s where you collectively celebrate and dis- whether it be South Asian or Latin American in order to interact physically and mentally with for art and what we want to achieve is that more gradual stages of how this initiative came into cuss. That’s the kind of platform Karachi needs- they have to package and slot artists. When I the public. The historical spaces in Karachi are and more people should come towards art and the form that it is today. a Karachi that has been extremely fragmented was touring Latin America as part of the Inter- going to be given immense visibility for KB17. culture. This event has really been designed as a over the years! And so, the vision came together ings. Actually for the Karachi biennale we’re not national Artists’ Critics Association, I presented And that’s how it should be – for instance, when pop up art museum, really. There is a vibrancy Niilofur Farrukh (NF): (laughs) I’m going to around a city that has become so polarized. We looking for a particular kind of stereotype artist. papers in conferences located in Paraguay and we are travelling abroad we first get onto a train and resilience which originates from art that have to trek back into time when I was around have been looking at how art can play a role Anyone who responds to the theme, ‘WITNESS’ Brazil. The audience responded with a sense of and then into a bus and walk for 45 minutes to may not provide answers and resolved ideas but 25 years old as I recall there was always a brew- in creating a collective experience which has has a place in this biennale. Of course we can understanding and could relate to the issues my get to our destination. It’s strange that we don’t it does create more viewership, more discussions ing conversation in the art circle of having a become pivotal in our decision making. The only have so many people and Amin Gulgee, paper discussed. It was called ‘Problematizing apply this habit to our daily lives in Karachi and and more inclusivity. We are hoping that we large gathering of national and international biennale team had also begun to think of other the chief curator for the biennale has concep- the Extremist Narrative’ where around 10 years sometimes we just don’t understand the impor- build and sustain the community of support and artists in Karachi to showcase work and collab- biennale models present across the globe; I’ve tualized the whole theme. I do see now, that ago in Pakistan, it was a prime time for extrem- tance of our own city. develop the Karachi Biennale through the years. orate across borders. There might not have been seen so many biennales and somehow the bien- a lot of young people are a part of KB17 who ism. When I looked at the Pakistani artists and a large exposure to international art, but the nales in smaller countries have a more ground- haven’t had a lot of shows or made big waves. their practices, I saw that they were the only VR: Let’s talk about your team; what has the As part of KB17, the Prize Committee acknowledges the local scene was burgeoning and innovative. For ed ethos. The respond to issues as the artists, It’s important for the biennale to give them this ones who were really addressing the issue at KB17 been collectively working towards? most evocative exhibits in KB17 by awarding two art prizes: the KB17 Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Founda- example, the Karachi Arts’ Council’s doors were curators and critics can then stretch the idea as opportunity at 2 levels: it’s a very different ex- core. Within these scenarios the artists were to how and what they want to achieve through tion Juried Art Prize and the KB17 Shahneela and Farhan open to people from all walks of life and the in- posure as compared to galleries… the biennale – and they still are – trying to deconstruct the NF: We have an incredible team – hats off to all Faruqui Popular Choice Art Prize. stitution would hold major exhibitions by Sade- art. takes part in more inclusive environments of the times which we live in and this link made me of them. The strength of Pakistan is really its quain, Bashir Mirza, Gulgee and Shahid Sajjad. city. think there is a possibility to reach out beyond people and this desire to make it a better place. Veera Rustomji is a visual artist and writer VR: Having interacted with artists such as This was in the 1970s and back then, we didn’t South Asia and so my experience with my Latin The artists have risen to the occasion and Amin based in Karachi, Pakistan and graduated from Ali Imam and Sadequain who are regarded have to face the current hurdles of security and VR: Like 63 Commissariat, Karachi School of American colleagues brought about an interest has worked very hard on engaging with the the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES as iconic individuals in Pakistan’s art history, censorship with showing artwork to the mass- Art and the Rangoonwala Community Cen- to create this discourse as their political regimes artists. We have thought extensively about the 2015. At present, she is a Project Coordinator for what do you think their reaction would be to es. There was no barrier in the exhibition space tre... and turmoil is something we as Pakistani artists, locations and every day leading up to the bien- Vasl Artists’ Association. between the man on the street who wanted to this biennale and what would their role have writers and curators can associate ourselves with nale, our KB17 team has been debating upon see art for the first time and take ownership of been? NF: Yes. It becomes a larger process when you very easily. how people will get to NJV School which is the the culture and then the people who wanted to include diverse locations. The first time I ex- main site and the location for the inauguration. see art in order to take it further into discus- NF: Of course if the modernists didn’t exist in perienced the true reaction by the public to art VR: What are you looking forward to the most There’s no guarantee of security and there’s no sions and careers. There were discussions in the Pakistan, there wouldn’t have been any mentors was in a show we put together in the late 1990s in KB17 programme? Are there any aspects of guarantee of parking and it is a precarious guess 70s for a forum such as a biennale but the whole to a large number of people. I think if they were called, ‘Mati ki Sargoshi’ which was a show at the programme which are particularly close to that so many well-to do artists and art enthu- idea of a ‘biennale’ had not matured as yet. here, they would love to participate and would Frere Hall as part of ASNA with pots from all your heart? siasts will travel to the NJV School. We have, While there was a biennale hosted in the late have contributed tremendously. The contem- over the country. The men who sell refresh- however, advertised the public bus routes and 1980s by the PNCA, we didn’t have anything on porary art practice doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it ments at Frere Hall would come up into the NF: As a curator, it will be very exciting to see arranged our own buses to give that option to that scale after it ended… Then there was a large exists in a part of continuity of the practices in a gallery and point at the matkaas (pots) which the international and local practices side by side. students and those travelling from abroad; we hiatus afterwards in the local art scene. country. We did think about having a modernist were from their villages. So I do feel there’s a I’ve never seen such a large chunk of Pakistani are pushing people to get out of their comfort Meanwhile, biennales were and are show at the VM Art Gallery which would have tremendous gap in between the artists and the artists interacting with the work by international zone and have an adventure. We’re really offer- predominantly founded in Europe and it prolif- been a retrospective show, but it could not be mass public– public art can be done in a very artists who have utilized such different mediums ing you the rough and the tumble of the city. erated to America and South America. Naturally put together as it’s difficult to borrow works and protected environment and usually in Karachi and concerns. It’s always been the case that the The KB17 team consists of individuals given the growth of artists in our country and it’s a big risk. We may still pull this through later we opt for that option. In KB17 we are making practices emerging out of the South have been who all have regular 9 to 5 jobs but everyone has the expansion of galleries and institutions, many on! ourselves very vulnerable by going out there in looked at as a ‘derivative practice’…this whole prioritized their time towards the biennale. We people thought, ‘Why can’t we have a biennale the streets because one has to be very prepared idea that the ‘real concept’ emerges in the West have also been incredibly grateful to all our sup- in Karachi or Lahore?’ Over the last 10 years VR: Having selected around 170 participating to defend what you are doing. The artists who somewhere and it’s somewhat adapted in the porting organizations and sponsors. I felt very several groups had approached me to become artists for KB17, in what ways do you think are participating are really mindful of this. South. If you look at the work from the artists strongly that, for the biennale, we must continue a part of this desire to see a biennale of Karachi that the artists of today are different from the Secondly, the biennale offers the participating present in the biennale, their practices are very to build links with the corporate sector because but none of them took off because now, while I generation of the modernists? young local artists an international route that much anchored here and the issues and lan- they have the resources and it would benefit all sit here after all this work our team has accom- the biennale presents with the range of artists guages they use are central to their geographical of us by making Karachi a dynamic space. In the plished, it’s truly a herculean task. The system NF: They are very different – even as human be- and curators coming to the city. Amin’s idea of location. I’m also really looking forward to see long term, a lot of the corporate companies will 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 16 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 17 development of Karachi’s traditions and com- munities which have festered profoundly due to the political and cultural impasse. Conversely, to In Focus | November 2017 assume that this will happen after one biennale is perhaps asking for too much too soon. A few cycles into the biennale, over the years, will un- questionably set the wheel in motion and results apparent. Globalization is responsible for wide-spreading commercialism and may even- tually obliterate the boundary between the Karachi Biennale- public-initiated biennale and the profit-based art exhibitions and art fairs.In this matter, the first Karachi Biennale safely stayed its course engaging in its primary objective of creating a dialogue with the public. However, it cannot be Mobilizing the Metropolis ignored that Karachi Biennale was also an at- tempt at developing an independent intra-urban identity allowing the artists and curators to be by Saira Danish Ahmed visible to the international market.

eing the main seaport and the eco- bear ‘witness to his time in history’[i]. The Ka- Biennials are bi-annual public-initiated mega art Saira Danish Ahmed is the Associate Editor at nomic and commercial hub of Paki- rachi Biennale becomes the first and the largest events which have become a world-wide sen- ArtNow Pakistan, Karachi. She was a special cor- stan, Karachi is the largest city and international contemporary art event to be held sation commanding attention and determining respondent representing ArtNow at the Karachi the State funds the creative arts and often in the the gateway of the country producing in Pakistan. This two week long art experience the careers of artists worldwide. Biennale 2017. case of biennales the respective governments Bsixty-five percent of Pakistan’s total income and was the result of the Karachi Biennale Trust and From its onset, the vision of the Karachi liaise with curators and trustees to provide grant eighty percent of the total trade. The mega-city its curatorial team mobilizing artists and institu- Biennale primarily adopted an ideology to cre- for the event. However, in the case of Karachi of Karachi was a British conception with the tions from within and outside of Pakistan. Two ate an evocative dialogue with the general public [i] Robert Rauschenberg explored ideas of home, trav- the funding was arranged by patrons of the arts East India Company creating military camps years in the making the Karachi Biennale Trust of Karachi. Almas Bana, Chairperson of KBT, el and arrival. Often described as the first postmod- and sponsors. Though the government did not around which the city eventually urbanized. In (KBT) is registered with the World Biennale devotedly calls it ‘Karachi ka Biennale’- a bien- ern artist, he was a versatile innovator whose work in fund the Karachi Biennale it didn’t create any painting, photography, sculpture, performance, and 1947, with the partition of British India, migra- Foundation. The KBT also became the member nale of the people and for the people of Karachi. hurdles either. Pakistan’s National Council Of printmaking helped establish the ongoing concerns of tion gave way to ethnic prejudice. The exodus of the New North South Network which con- The Karachi Biennale has laid the foundation The Arts Act,1973 which extends to all federal contemporary art. continued in Karachi ten years into partition nects the South Asian biennales with UK sub- of an autonomous art scene developing artis- and provincial ‘artistic activities’ is vague when resulting in aversion amongst the Sindhi and sequently partnering with the Lahore Biennale, tic investigation and a platform for ‘alternative referring to government funding of exhibitions [ii] Elke aus dem Moore, Head of the Visual Arts De- Muhajir initially and later extending it to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, thinking’[ii] independent of the conventional partment, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen. and fairs arranged by private entities. 7c of the Afghans from across the border and the Pash- Colombo Biennale, Liverpool Biennale, Man- art market. Keeping in mind its criticality and Act states to coordinate, supervise and evaluate tuns from the tribal belts of Pakistan who began chester Museum and Art Gallery, Whitworth the socio-political context the artists’ employ, [iii] Amin Gulgee’s curatorial statement ‘cultural organizations and individuals engaged settling in the metropolis in the 1980s. Today, Art Gallery and the Tetley Gallery. Biennales or the biennale indicates the establishing of a in cultural activities’. Conversely, there is no with a diverse population of over twenty-two mention of the term ‘fund’ or ‘funding’ in the million Karachi has become ferment for politi- clause. The role of the Sindh government has The production of new artworks and the assem- cal parties fueled by ethnic agenda with militant been flaccid from the time of the biennale’s blage of old ones synchronizing with the theme wings on standby. inception till its activation. With the success ‘Witness’ within a non-gallery context divulged It is in this politically charged and tur- of the first-of-its-kind contemporary art event into a carefully designed criticality resonat- bulent environment of Karachi, curators and in Pakistan, gaining sizeable media coverage ing the ambition of the artists’ collectives. The artists collaborated to witness and archive mem- and international recognition within days of display of a contemporary art exhibition, in ories of the metropolis and of metropolitan cit- its initiation it is hopefully anticipated that the a city which is populated with a mindset for ies worldwide. The Karachi biennale was a tri- government will partake in the next biennale conventional art and cultural ethos, was a trial partite event with a highly stimulating outreach held in Karachi. not only for the curatorial team but also for the program chaired by Masuma Halai Khawaja, The principal determining force behind public who is challenged by and can challenge an extensive and comprehensive discursive led the Karachi Biennale was the need to generate a the art when confronted with it. Keeping the by Niilofur Farrukh and exhibition of artworks, visual and oral discourse in order to engage and sentiments of its people in mind the Karachi video installations and performances curated by stimulate the people of Karachi. The KBT claims Biennale’s model was exceptionally compliant to Amin Gulgee. Twelve sites were activated with- to create a democratic ideal with no commercial the cultural sensitivities of its people. in Karachi with works of more than one hun- aspects attached to the event. Niilofur Farrukh, Biennales are a hub for contemporary 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES dred and forty contemporary artists not only CEO KB17 and Managing Trustee KBT, ex- art practices whereby the artists challenge and from Pakistan but also from around the globe to pressed an urgency to instrumentalize art and to confront the onlookers’ often orthodox and reclaim public space which was long forgotten conformist expectations. Then again, it must parallel archive of contemporary art generated and lost to memory. Masuma Halai Khawaja, be remembered, that unlike artists of the past to bear testimony to the city’s past and present Chairperson of the Outreach Program and the artists today testify to the experiences of the and conceivably paving way for its future. Trustee KBT, explicated that the biennale was present by responding to socio-political con- With hurdles and challenges faced at an attempt to exhibit art in public spaces easily cerns in non-traditional ways. The day of the in- every stage of the biennale’s groundwork the accessible to the masses and to encourage them augural ceremony bore testimony to this. It took people of Karachi rose to the occasion to ensure to visit art galleries which, in general, they shy place on October 21, 2017 at the one hundred its smooth functioning. In developed countries away from. The Karachi Biennale was hosted and sixty-five year old NJV Government Higher at twelve venues. The art and the venue united Secondary School which is on the list of Kara- to allow the stakeholder to experience the rich chi’s heritage monuments. It gave us a glimpse cache of Karachi’s diverse culture. into the transformation of a public space serving The Chief Curator for KB17 and Trustee, as a platform for investigation, experimentation Amin Gulgee voiced the need to put together an and the visibility of ideas in sync with the eccen- exhibition of ‘idiosyncratic vocabularies from tricities of the era we are living in. several continents’ dealing with ‘topical con- KBT will consequently prove to be an cerns and personal’[iii] narratives. The cura- influential platform for engaging and educat- torial team included Zarmeene Shah, Zeerak ing the public in the field of contemporary art; Ahmed, Humayun Memon, Sara Pagganwala empowering them to apprehend and appreciate and Adam Fahy-Majeed from Pakistan and the art of their times. It will serve as a catalyst to Paolo De Grandis from Venice, Carlos Acero stimulate oral and visual discourses challenging Ruiz from Santo Domingo and the SPARK duo the preconceived notions about Karachi. It is comprising Dominique Malaquais from Paris anticipated that the trust will inevitably con- All Images courtesy Saira Danish Ahmed and tribute towards the expansion and development

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES and Kadiatou Diallo from Cape Town. Karachi Biennale 18 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 19 exhibitions and festivals is connected to build- tain themes and subject matter continue to rise conversations about the M word (money), so ing industry linkages, governmental support and fall in repetitions. The artists win favors of widely frowned upon in the art world. programs, education and economy. Take the ex- the international art market at different points In Focus | March 2018 ample of the Art Basel Miami. Ever since the ad- in their careers based on what they are selling Hurmat Ul Ain is an interdisciplinary artist and dition of Miami chapter of Art Basel, we see the and whether it is fashionable at the time or not. art educationist. . She has a BFA from Nation- union of Miami Beach town; a hub of parties, Hence the international art market is more al College of Arts in Painting and an MFA in tourism, sea sports, and tropical weather with unpredictable in its reception to newcomers and Performance Art from School of Art Institute one of the biggest art events world has see. The offers highly competitive spots to young artists. Chicago. other two chapter of Art Basel are in Hong Kong and (initially) Switzerland. Each venue provides Critique: The criticism received at the a unique culture of socio economic blend to time of the Great Exhibition still rings true for Art UnFairs offer representation to artists from USA, Asia the international art world today. Its insensi- and China; and Europe respectively. But Mi- tivity towards subtle refinements in art proves ami legitimizes the inclusion of entertainment, it to be much like the show business. It follows by Hurmut ul Ain recreation and socializing to the art fair agenda trends and agendas based on political and eco- of talks, discourse and workshops. Through the nomical preferences instead of ideological ones. Art Basel, Miami has done for art what Vegas Such exhibitionism is often ridiculed for its REVIEW | Sight Specific – has done for casinos. superficiality and crassness. The global art mar- Mohammad Ali Talpur in London The increasing globalization has a major ket, much like any other business is very much by Lavinia Filippi role to play in creating a suitable environment contingent on funds and profits for its success “Among the main themes that emerged from Sona’s analysis of Mohammad Ali’s practice, the relations for curating international exhibitions. The and maintenance. Artificial hikes in prices have between painting and music, appeared significant.” opportunity to travel combined with cheap become the subject of controversy in the art availability of air tickets provides collectors, art world time and again. Sometimes these contro- REVIEW | London Calling, of Art connoisseurs, dealers, tourists, travelers perfect versies help build up the artists name in media Fairs and Pakistani Art by Sarah Imran Ali avenues to witness art. Art Fairs provided a before a major international exhibition. While wider choice of artworks to buyers from across other times the artists become the sacrificial “The most stimulating segment this year at the London Art Fair was the ‘Art Projects’ as it showcased an ex- the world, hence they are more successful than goat, heavily praised and beautifully adorned. At ceptional variety of some of ‘the freshest contemporary the gallery model for the purpose of buying art. the end of the day, the art dealer, the venue, the art across the world’.” The Internet age furthers the capacity to link the buyer, the reseller, all will make money, perhaps REVIEW | Unfinished Conversations world through the web to these events. And the even more than what the artist makes on their with Lahore access and connection of the art collector with own work. by Sabeen Ahsan

the dealer, representing art gallery or the art- The art galleries have to pay a heavy fee “In her collages titled ‘Floating reparation 1 and ist her/himself is easily established beyond the for participation at these events and in turn have 2’, she compiles each photograph as a puzzle piece reconstructing the existing construction sites, In the event of the art fair. Besides, these events are a to tax artists to keep the system working. To words of Jeff Wall, “the image is clearly a fragment of a greater whole which itself can never be experienced di- perfect social scene and must be attended by the bear the cost of the booth at such an event, the rectly. The fragment then somehow, makes that whole whose-who of the art world and show business. gallery is not shy of over booking the stall with visible or comprehensible.” The international exhibitions of this scale are works and a preference towards commercial the most up to date version of the carnival in works becomes inevitable. With such logistical For more, visit: Credits: The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, home to the Great Exhibition of 1851. town. They are attended to see and to be seen. concerns, political and economical frameworks http://www.artnowpakistan.com They are a status symbol and, in terms of art- easily replace the cultural agenda. Art Fairs leave he popular imagination is continu- exhibition has been the turning point for the art but at the time these artists were controversial work prices, they are affordable. Biennials, on very little room for art criticism and discourse OR ously intrigued and arrested by stories world. figures and among the rejects. Their works did the other hand have a reputation of being more but perhaps that is the reason why most interna- of art theft. Works of fiction (and not fit the conservative taste of the realistic style Download any QR code-app on your exclusive in the selection of curators and artists tional programs, exhibitions, fairs and biennials Android or iOS and scan this code for non-fiction) like the saucy film, ‘The History of International Art Exhibi- of painting, selected by the French Arts Council and in most probability the artists who have lean heavily on developing an education wing or immediate access to our website from TEntrapment’ or the best selling novel, ‘The Heist’ tions: In her colonizing fervor, England hosted year after year for the annual exhibition. YOUR PHONE. shown in art fairs reach the biennial stage after program to compensate for the heavy handed capture the minds of audiences across the world the first ever Great Exhibition at Hyde Park in The Venice Biennial came about in 1895 for the some sifting and by that stage have raised their and further validate the mystification of the the custom-built, Crystal Palace in 1851. This very first time and to date marks a tradition of prices very high. Hence, further distinguishing artists and the art works. People are interested exhibition mainly displayed manufactured over 120 years. The biennial was initially set up the art fair model from the biennale model. in stories of art crime for the same reason they goods, craft, material and some Fine Arts. The as a platform for Italian art with a small section are interested in stories of crime, investigation event exhibited displays from countries around for international artworks. But by the 1920’s, Artists: For the participating and aspir- and action but also because of the added layer the world. And each country’s section showed it became the juncture for avant-garde art by ing artists, these biennials, art fairs and expos of charisma of a work of art. The value of an arts and craft, skillful products, jewels, cultural initiating to show works from impressionists define the international art scene. Most young artwork is immeasurable and often the topic assets, everyday objects of use etc. It is said to and post-impressionists. The biennale kept on artists today would term success in their profes- of debate and awe in news. Art is desirable, have attracted about six million people over a adding international pavilions and except for sional careers by participation in international glorified, untouchable (display units in muse- course of six months. The revenue generated the interruption by the World Wars, the exhi- exhibitions of that scale. Regardless of the in- 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES ums) and un-buyable (expensive). Or is it? In from the exhibition was used to set up the Vic- bition kept on growing into festivals of other creasing number of these exhibition platforms, actuality, the art world is much like any other toria & Albert museum, named after the royal art forms like film, music and dance. Today the it is to be understood that selection criteria for industry or booming business. With the increas- family’s support in organizing it. Despite its biennale program is one of the most intensive these forums is generally very exclusive and ing globalization, the art world does not remain obvious success, the exhibition met with criti- across the world with kids carnivals, education based on standards of quality of the art, years of unaffected. Art is no longer just a novel taste of cism from various quarters of the society. The programs, architecture exhibitions, and cinema practice of the artist and regional fame already the elite; it is also a commodity, an investment intellectual elite, artists and designers especially and theatre workshops. The Venice Biennale achieved. Artists who have representation from asset, a product and a status symbol. Moreover, criticized the superficiality of the exhibition, sets the example of the experience that the cities galleries and institutes in reputable places often art is accessible and available to be experienced deeming it as tacky and vulgar. In the interna- of the world are pockets of culture and art. Its have a higher chance of showing in internation- and bought in the consumerist fashion of the tional circles, the exhibition was often regarded not about the countries and nations, its about al exhibitions. Artists agree to pay very high contemporary lifestyle at international art fairs. as a symbol of English conceit and vanity. At its the cities, communities, and what they represent percentages from their sales at these platforms International exhibitions are not a new best, the exhibition was a demonstration of the within themselves. in exchange for the undeniable exposure to their phenomenon but the rate at which they are national power and prosperity of England and work and themselves. escalating is dramatic; till around the 1970’s the at its worst, the discourse around the exhibi- Globalization: There are so many cities The outreach of the said international world knew of only 3 art fairs but by the 2015, tion problematized the representation of the in the world that now host art fairs, biennials exhibitions is much more valuable than region- that number grew to over 250 international Victorians in the aftermath of the colonial rule. or triennials. Some of the examples are Istanbul al exposure. Artists get ample opportunity to exhibitions by the names of fairs, biennales, Although, the Great Exhibition was fashioned Biennial, Sharjah Biennial, Sydney Biennial, Yo- promote their work and get visibility in front triennials and such. The difference between art on similar examples of exhibitions already held kohama Triennial; Art Dubai, Sydney Contem- of a diverse crowd, and also network for future fair model and the biennale/triennial is mostly in Paris, however, the very first sample of an art porary, Documenta in Kassel which follows the breakthroughs and connections. Such glorified a conceptual one. The former focuses on the fair with celebrity artists, dealers and buyers is one in 5 years model. Then there is Art Chicago, advantages often come at the cost of big and art market, sales and commodity side of the claimed to be Salon De Refuses in Paris 1863. Art Basel Switzerland, ARCO: Spain since 1980. small compromises. With the growing market art while the biennale model traditionally pays The exhibition was an open retaliation to the Over the years, the identity of the art fairs is so for Asian, African, Muslim, women, LGBTQ Credits: attention to the art discourse, issues of curation juried exhibitions of the time; showcasing works closely intertwined with the culture, tourism or other minority representation, the artists La Biennale di Venezia and universal critique. Regardless of the format from the Impressionists. The very famous artists and popularity of these cities that it is difficult streamline the content of their practices to fit Allestimenti, Padiglioni of the exhibition, the shift from the regional of history, like Manet and Courbet, contributed to say which came first. The cities build on their the global narratives about their own represen- stranieri, Mostre all’ gallery model to this international large-scale paintings shown in the ‘Exhibitions of Rejects’, revenue and tourism through hosting these art tation. Like fashion trends the popularity of cer- Estero LAbiennale.org 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 20 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 21 What should the audience expect from the upcoming fair?

Profile | November 2017 MA: We want to continue strengthening our positioning as the most international art fair, one that is the preeminent platform to discover artists from the MENASA, a fair that engages the city and the region with its programming; a fair that mirrors the dynamism and energy of its host city. I’d like people to know that attending presents Art Dubai leaves one culturally enriched and In conversation with inspired and we’d love to welcome this curiosity and enthusiasm.

JA: How has your experience in Pakistan Art Dubai’s latest director, been? MA: Fantastic and such an eye opener. I was absolutely delighted to have discovered some late greats operating in the 20th century and also, some incredible contemporary talent. I think that a lot more can be done to push Paki- Myrna Ayad stani art and export it so the world can celebrate the talent and history that exists in this South by Jovita Alvares Asian nation. I feel that there is a great deal of enthusiasm amongst professionals and patrons Myrna Ayad is the recently appointed director MA: I work with a formidable team who have alike and very much hope that it is just a matter for Art Dubai and her involvement in the art a molecular knowledge of how an art fair runs of time before we see more Pakistani art on the fair’s 11th edition has resulted in it being widely and who are also very passionate. My first year world stage. Art Dubai has and will welcome proclaimed as one of the most successful to date. involved a lot of listening and observing and Pakistani art, so watch this space! On a recent visit to Pakistan, Jovita Alvares had the kudos really goes to the Art Dubai team. It the opportunity to interview the up and coming was wonderful engaging the region, travelling JA: Karachi is currently enjoying their first director about her experience in Pakistan and her to countries like Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran, biennale. How do you think this impact Ka- Lifetime Achievement Award future plans for the fair. Egypt, Tunis and others, meeting art profes- rachi Art culture as well as their international sionals and organizations and exploring ways in image? which we can collaborate. Ultimately this feeds right into one of Art Dubai’s missions: to gather MA: Only in positive ways. I think that the initiative is great and I was delighted with the Jovita Alvares (JA): Where does your interest and be a meeting point and host these different discoveries I made, especially as the biennial re- for art and culture stem from? How has your energies. ally engaged the city and it felt quite like a dem- to hometown, Lebanon, encouraged this concern JA: Art Dubai prides itself on having one of ocratic platform, which is fantastic. In initiating Marjorie with art? the most extensive non-profit programmes. something as ambitious as a biennial, noise is created, potential is discovered and opportuni- Myrna Ayad (MA): I grew up in Dubai, where Could you please tell us more about these? ties are explored. I am eager to see how this will I’ve lived since 1982 and where I had and still negotiate the Pakistani art scene and attract in- have access to a multitude of cultures. That MA: Our non-profit programming was born out terntional attention. It really is always wonderful offered me insight and exposure into the art, of a desire to engage the local community and Husain to attend a freshman cultural initiative and I am traditions and cultures of several diasporic com- act as an educational platform and cultural in- so happy to have been there. munities; this multiculturalism is at the heart stitute that communicates with society. Among of the UAE – that diversity and energy mirrors our non-profit activity is the Global Art Forum JA: Is there anything else you would like to tell what we do at Art Dubai making it the world’s (mentioned above), Campus Art Dubai which 21-24 March 2018 | ArtDubai our readers? most global fair. So in essence, there wasn’t one is an art academy that operates on a year-round basis and which attracts art enthusiasts from all identity growing up in Dubai, but many and welcomed a record 94 galleries from 43 coun- fields; the Art Dubai Fellowship, a think tank Review |February 2018 that collective became a defining factor. tries enjoyed by an audience of 27,000 visitors. that runs through the duration of the fair and Jovita Alvares is a visual artist from the Indus

Numbers aside, the fair offers such a robust Valley School of Art and Architecture and has 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES JA: You were previously the editor for Canvas, deliberates specific themes and topics that often programme of activities and events, from the joined ArtNow Pakistan as designer, sub-editor Tearing Apart the Envelope a magazine focused on art and culture. How pertain to the fair. Abraaj Group Art Prize, which in 2018 cele- and writer for the magazine. by Varda Nisar does this experience aid in your current job as brates a decade of the MENASA’s most impor- JA: How important are art fairs both nation- director of Art Dubai? tant prize, The Global Art Forum, a critically ally and internationally? How does it affect Ayesha Saeed is one of those ambitious beings amongst us. A recent graduate of Royal acclaimed series of talks that takes on a differ- its local city and residents and how does that College of Art, her first debut exhibition titled “The Psychogeography of the Right Thumb” MA: The knowledge that I had acquired helped ent theme each year. There is also the Modern affect the city image in the international art is currently on display at the newly established THP Gallery. Psychogeography is described me a great deal. I was familiar with many of the Symposium that complements our Modern Hall scene? as “playful and inventive ways of navigating the urban environment in order to examine its key players by virtue of interviews and covering which is the only platform that showcases mu- architecture and spaces”[1], and this is just what one finds in Ayesha’s work... stories, from artists and galleries, to collectors seum quality works by masters working in the MA: With Art Dubai, the fair was and still is and patrons through to curators and institu- Middle East, Africa and South Asia in the 20th a game changer that created a lot of attention, [1] Definition by Tate Art Terms tions. I also feel very privileged to have seen and century and The Room, a space offered to artists possibility, opportunity and appreciation for art. reported on the rise of the regional art scene to create an immersive environment including Ripple effects can still be felt – it is the heartbeat and have to say that Art Dubai, which I covered gastronomy, performance art and artistic en- of the regional art scene. I feel that due of Art since its establishment in 2007, was a major gagement. The list goes on, and I am so proud to Dubai, events and activities happen around it educational platform for me. Today, the knowl- see the fair develop each year, continuing to be because of the attention that it has garnered not edge I’ve acquired allows me to continue telling at the core of the regional art scene, very much just locally but regionally and internationally stories-it’s just a different conversation. acting as a nucleus, exceeding its position as just too. Art fairs are great places to explore a coun- an art fair and being very much a platform and try/region’s pulse and discover trends, but in JA: Could you tell our readers a bit about Art hub. the case of Art Dubai, I very much feel that this Dubai and how, in your opinion, it has pro- is where trends are set, networking happens, gressed over the years? JA: The first Art Dubai under your direction discoveries are made and strategies formed. was widely considered as one of the strongest Celebrating art in March becomes a nation-wide MA: When we launched our first edition in to date. Take us through your experience of festivity and the buzz is palpable. 2007, we presented 40 galleries and attracted the first time? 8000 visitors. For our 11th edition in 2017, we Read More at www.artnowpakistan.com

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES JA: What are your future plans for Art Dubai? Images courtesy, Myrna Ayad 22 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 23

Review | March 2018 Chenab Waves by Faiza Habib

henab Waves is a group show show- casing works of alumni and faculty from the Department of Fine Arts, University of Gujrat to celebrate the Ccompletion of first ten years of the department. The exhibition displayed at VM Art Gallery from February 8th to 28th features works of 23 artists exploring a multitude of concepts and media. It is their first ever show in Karachi and intends to introduce a new signature to the art scene. Gujrat is not only a historically rich city, it is also a thriving industrial contributor to our economic tapestry. The shift from celebrated cultural heritage to significant industrial anchor has allowed the city’s economy and lifestyle to change in many ways. Among the changes witnessed during the last three decades, art and design related aspects are one of the most affect- Images Courtesy, Faiza Habib ed ones, thus creating a new visual identity for the people of Gujrat and its surrounding areas. supported by strong use of medium enhances scapes and the changes in the social dynamics as Owing to the changes in the region’s culture, the metaphorical depth within the artwork. Ma- a result of the process. The monotone canvases the University of Gujrat initiated a Department ria Arif’s attempt to explore the role of legacies portray the transitioning cityscape covered in of Fine Arts which has recently celebrated the in building something anew continues the sense fog reinforcing the concerns regarding superfi- culmination of its first ten years - the first of the of inquiry and strong metaphors underlying cial urban planning. many milestones to come for the department. works of Haider, Iqbal and Riaz. Mehwish Jabeen’s Destroying Architecture To initiate something that imparts an Habib Akram’s inquiry takes a different and Untitled use clay pots and glazed patterns ideology is a difficult process but to instigate a path towards self-exploration and identity. He from traditional Multani and Gujrati ceramics practice and process that builds upon existing examines the dynamics and effects of relation- to reflect on the state of these crafts and the traditions based on a combination of ideologies ships and interactions in building the self by us- need for preservation and promotion of rich is even more complex. The works featured in the ing figures with concealed faces. Fariha Rashid cultural heritage. Majid Ghafoor’s Shahdoula show are a reflection of the faculty’s investment and Hafsa Batool’s work is about the cycle of Gate raises same concerns. Asif Shareef’s at- in building an academic process alongside an experience and expression of an emotion. Wajid tempt to reorient the Islamic patterns on 3D identity for the niche culture emanating from Ali’s narrations based on his journeys, Izza surfaces presents a new approach towards cul- the transition experienced within the region. Noureen’s visual journal and Maryam Batool’s tural identity. The redistribution of space for the Salman Arshad’s Untitled miniature anatomy inspired sculptures further the investi- new forms allow the centuries old tradition to

reliefs on wasli appear as roughly textured sur- gation of self and surroundings. take a new form, perhaps a more engaging form 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES faces on the first glance. On a closer look they Social and cultural concerns and co- for the modern times. reveal the construction of the surface to be done nundrums dictate most of the artists’ work in Quest for knowledge and venturing into with intricately cut paper forms layered and the show. Aniqa Akram’s Untitled canvases are the world beyond self is the underlying theme juxtaposed to create a meditative monotonous a comment on the superstitions in our culture. for Tauqeer Baig, Sidra Arif and Shafqat Sal- rhythm. The uniformity of the minute paper Using radial diagrams and parrots to portray the man’s work. The use of traditional and uncon- forms and their methodical placement allows heavy inclination towards astrological analyses ventional media and technique broadens the the process to take the center stage in his work. in local-street culture. She builds an argument range of expressions within the subject matter. Working with the notions surrounding percep- around how the simplistic elements and no- For an academic institution to put to- tion of self, situation and life, Imran Haider, tions lead towards complicated practices in our gether a team that can reinforce each member’s Sidra Iqbal and Sundus Riaz have explored society. Muzzamil Khan’s mixed media on wasli strengths is a milestone in itself. The exhibition metaphors depicting the everyday practice of portrays his apprehensions and concerns in showcases the diverse yet complimenting set of assessments and comparison of accomplish- response to the incident in Bahawalpur where approaches found within this team, promising ments. Haider’s studies of human skin against people were burnt to death. NoorulAin’s work to build a sustainable academic system that stark white backdrops highlight the sensitivity brings forth a contrasting paradox of perception can enable and contribute to the community it of the practice and the artist’s efforts to do away of life in terms of ideal versus real. The lotus sprung from. with the context makes the dilemma even more and figures juxtaposed against ochre canvases portray a romanticized version of reality where obvious. Iqbal’s windows, webs and metallic Faiza Habib is a designer, educator and a fiber the stylization of the elements communicates restrains depicted in black and white comment artist with an undergraduate degree from Indus the irony of the idea. Ali Raza’s miniatures on the grey areas we come across every day and Valley School of Art & Architecture in Textile delve into the on-going political situation and how our interpretation affects those situations. Design from Karachi. The simplicity of the canvases in Sundus Ri- its subliminal effects on our society. Whereas, az’s work enables the viewer to perceive itself Muhammad Junaid’s Untitled pieces comment in the artist’s shoes climbing up and down on the after effects of partition in 1971. Aliya those staircases marked with measurements. In Amjad’s Urban Landscape I and II explore the effects of urbanization on the existing land

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES each of the artists’ work, the subtlety of color 24 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 25 Horn, overlaid to create an extraordinary sonic One of several works was a row of oars experience and a sense of floating, a landscape balanced over-head and arranged in a wavelike that was tangible but also distant. Hassan Khan pattern by Mohamed Yousif, who trained as a Features | December 2017 was awarded the ‘Silver Lion’ for a Promising sculptor and then spent years in the theatre. Young Artist. Nasar translates an inscription that appears Another project, which involved sound, in Arabic: “The rhythm of the oars under the was the complex work Life in the Folds by the water.” Oarsmen traditionally sing when they Mexican artist Carlos Amorales. About 1,000 row, and the oars arranged by Yousif, says Nasar, tiny ceramic ocarinas (an ancient wind musi- “looked like musical notation”. cal instrument) were arranged on tables. Each What I found interesting was the way of the instruments was based on a letter from in which the exhibition was a launch pad for Venice RE-wind a 74-character alphabet created by the artist. a number of platforms and exchanges over a The pavilion grew out of a unique These characters resembled a conceptual ty- longer stretch of time. Apart from the exhibi- 22-month project, the ‘Diaspora Platform’. It by Naiza Khan pography, which was between hieroglyphics tion itself, the accompanying publication to the involved a mentoring program by eleven select- and musical notes. When I visited the pavilion, works, functioned as an additional site of the ex- ed mentors, and twelve UK based practitioners around the theme of diaspora. The mentors e enter Biennales with the ea- re-imagine the daily, durational rhythm of each a musician was playing an ocarina, letting out hibition to create a discursive space where newly long drones and then gliding amongst notes, as commissioned texts by a number of scholars included Hew Locke, Yinka Shonibare as well as gerness of a child entering a action and each event. In ‘Time Clock Piece’ Ellen Gallagher, David Adjaye and Isaac Julien. playground or a spectacle to find – One Year Performance 1980-1981, Hsieh if letting out a warning. were included. In addition, a series of Programs As Carlos Amorales explained: Life in line with the curatorial framework, invited ‘Its sense of political urgency, curatorial energy spaces that create challenging subjected himself to the rigorous discipline of and collegiate goodwill was reflected both in the Wand playful encounters with lived and imagined ‘clocking on to a worker’s time clock on the in the Folds, is based on the title of a book by collaborative participation with several cultur- Henri Michaux. The title evokes an image that al institutions across the UAE and London. In work itself and a strategic position that suggests experiences of contemporary life. Christine hour, every hour, for a whole year.’ This hourly, remodelling the British art world to far better Marcel, the curator of the 57th Venice Biennale daily endurance heightened the self-imposed is about being between things: between the this way, the work and ideas had a life beyond pages of a book or a newspaper, between coun- the exhibition, and as the curator explained, ‘by reflect its citizens’ origins and experiences’. ‘Viva Art Viva’ has described this year’s Venice depravation and placed the artist within the As Robert Roos writes: “Although the Biennale as an “Exhibition inspired by human- daily structure of time and labour. He installed tries and cultures, between opposed ideologies, developing these themes in ways they deem rel- between oneself and the other. This being ‘be- evant, this will serve to extend, expand, critique, whole show is about post-colonial reality, it ism.’ (…) In this type of humanism, the artistic a worker’s time clock in his studio, and facing is for the most part not an activist’s position. act is contemporaneously an act of resistance, of it, a 16mm camera suspended from the ceiling. tween’ has been the focus of my artistic explora- reflect and respond to the myriad issues that the exhibition may catalyze.’ Rather the artists try to get their messages liberation and of generosity.” He shaved his head and published a declaration across to the hearts and minds of the viewers Despite the critical responses, I found of intent. For an entire year he would attempt to As I walked into the Palazzo Pisani via with eloquent artistic narratives.” Entering the a good measure of all three ingredients in this punch in on the hour, every hour, twenty-four shimmering golden curtain work by Susan Pui edition of the Venice Biennale. Inevitably, as I hours a day. At each punching he would shoot a the shimmering golden plastic strings, I could San Lok, we leave the streets of Venice behind wandered through the labyrinth of sprawling single image on 16mm film. His life during this as well as the former European glory of the city. sites, its alleyways, across bridges; I could not year was regulated by this recurring act: he had have been walking into a nightclub in a Instead we enter a space, which holds a different help but wander how the city of Venice itself consigned himself to highly restricted condi- kind of promise, and a tonality of works emerge does not become the very playground of this tions of movement and interaction. Sleep depra- Venetian alley. Instead, it was the Diaspora which use the strength of difference and opacity larger than life experience, and dwarf the mul- vation was pitted against the demand to appear as their voice. tifarious and contested art spheres this city has to be upright and visible. Hsieh’s work evoked Pavilion, which was one of the highlights of the come to host. As the Biennale closed last week the disjunction between the lived perception of All images courtesy of Naiza Khan. after a six-month run, I wanted to share some of time and the social construction of clock time. Venice Biennale this the projects I found significant and which have But its intuition rests in its ‘understanding that year. Curated by David Naiza Khan currently lives between London and remained in my imagination. the technologies of capitalism would capture A. Bailey and Jessica Karachi. She is Senior Advisor at the Department During the 70s and 80s, the Taiwanese and accelerate life itself, turning sentient experi- Khan. Hassan is one of the pioneers of the Egyp- Taylor, it addressed of Visual Studies, University of Karachi, and a artist Tehching Hsieh worked in downtown ence into productive labour.’ tian underground scene and first emerged in the some of the ideas of member of the Board of Governors, Indus Valley Manhattan’s art scene and made a number of In Outdoor Piece – One Year Perfor- art world with a series of short, single channel tion: masks whether taken literally or as a visual global migration, the experience of diaspora and School of Art and Architecture, Karachi. extraordinary works. He began five separate mance 1981-1982, Hsieh inhabited a further videos and intense musical performances before language, placed like a membrane between the composition that makes up the diversity of works that would be performances within the sustained deprivation: he remained outside for his practice developed to include objects, texts, conflicting contexts.’ Britain today. But more than that, this initiative city, all of which were situated outside the art a year without taking any shelter. Together these films, music and exhibition environments. In The French/ Algerian artist, Kader challenged the very na- world’s sanctioned spaces and its market place. monumental performances of subjection mount Composition for a Public Park, sound monitors Attia’s Narrative Vibrations was one of my tionalism on which the For each of the five performances he made a an intense and affective discourse on human ex- were perched high up on thin poles; the garden favorite works. It explored the special powers Biennale structure is specific rule that directed his behaviour for the istence, its relation to systems of control, to time space was sliced into three sections of sound of the human voice, and played with the idea established, and for this entire year. As the curator of this exhibition and to nature. Hsieh’s fugitive presence – traced within the outdoor garden. The music was com- of sound and its impact. The work reminded reason, it is significant Adrian Heathfield explains: “the performances throughout – speaks both of the abjection and posed and recorded by the artist, text was writ- me of the epic female voices of Madam Noor for being positioned in were unprecedented in terms of their use of ingenuity found in survival by those who have ten and recorded in various voices by the artist, Jehan and Egypt’s Umme Kalsoom. One gallery the context of the Ven- physical difficulty over extreme durations and nothing. It is interesting to note that during the using computer and multi-track software, audio featured female vocalists from the Arabic world ice Biennale. in their absolute conception of art as a living course of his One Year Performances Hsieh was interface and multichannel sound system. The on separate screens. Their singing pitch caused The Pavil- process.” an illegal immigrant. three movements revolve around intense private vibrations to appear on domed enclosures of ion was set up by the 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Doing Time exhibited two of Hsieh’s One There seemed to be a richness of music emotions that are also public and political. couscous attached to the speakers. The patterns International Cura- Year Performances together for the first time. and sound works in this edition of the Biennale. People lay on the grass, listening to the of the couscous made visible a sonic range that tors Forum (ICF) and Both projects were put together with detailed Tucked away at the far end of the grand undulating flow of sound as it wrapped around moved and remained still across the sound University of the Arts records and artifacts as intricate installations. Arsenale site, with its 12th Century shipyard, them. The sounds overlapped and competed vibrations. This work was engaging, in that it set London (UAL) and is In this way the viewer could navigate and was the multichannel sound scape by Hassan with each other, as voices, brass, piano, Egyptian up a direct link from what we heard to what was part of a larger two-year moving and altering in the patterns of couscous. program called ‘Dias- Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play, pora Platform’. As their explored strands of artistic practice in the UAE, statement explains, it through ideas of rhythm, time and return. was “conceived as a Hammad Nasar, the curator of the UAE Pavil- challenge to the preva- ion, asked himself two questions when he began lence of national pavil- to plan this exhibition: “Where is this play ions within the struc- coming from and how is it nurtured, because ture of an international play in the UAE is not the first thing that you’re biennale and (took) its thinking about,” One conclusion he reached was form from the com- that, “Play is part and parcel of making a place ing-together of nineteen home.” UAE being the crossroads it is, becomes artists whose practices an abode on some level to a varied community in many ways expand, of labor, corporations and visitors. The exhibi- complicate and even tion featured existing works, re-fabrication of destabilise diaspora as a “lost” works and new commissions. But more term, whilst highlight- importantly, for me the exhibition staged a ing the continued set of questions that are part of the way visual relevance that diaspora practitioners engage with society, mobility and as a lived reality holds play. t o d ay.” 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 26 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 27 graphite recall a past modernist landscape and We cannot ignore representation -or lack of given to us two months in advance, everything play between existing and vanishing within the it- of women in art history, and so sessions we see including the walls are all built. The same space that they are drawn. such as Four Generations of Female Artists in building is completely reimagined, “ Nadia Features | March 2018 Betancourt explained, “A lot of ener- Bangladesh, a conversation in Bangla bringing explains while knocking on the wall behind her. gy went to contextualizing contemporary art together artists and art historians to discuss the “The space is completely built as per the artists’ within the rich history of what has already artistic contributions and legacy of figures who requirements. In the curatorial part there is happened. I think this year we have fewer com- have often been excluded in art history are very never any involvement of the government. It’s a missions than in the past. Its great to do com- important. show of integrity”. missions and it’s a wonderful process, however “The reason we have the Sri Lanka show The most unique element of the summit there are so many gaps in our historical knowl- curated by Sharmini Pereira is when we speak is in her vision of it as a whole, which Betan- edge, so we put a lot of effort in getting existing about marginalisation in South Asia, Sri Lanka court eloquently describes. Getting to Dhaka works.” really gets left out.” The exhibition One Hundred “I see it as a holistic project. “That’s also why we try to talk about Thousand Small Tales looks at creating an art I see it as different editions that build on by Sophia Balagamwala things like East Pakistan, East Pakistan doesn’t history of Sri Lanka as a response to its recent each other. exist anymore so where do you find out about history. I mention this exhibition, because it was The first edition was about Bangladesh, the East Pakistani artists. So the Iftikhar Dadi very delicately curated and very moving. the second was about South Asia, the third was workshop on forensic history is very important. There is a lot to learn from DAS, from about complicating South Asia by looking at People need to write their own histories.” the efforts of organizers, to the curatorial frame- the international, and this one is about blowing She is referring to the Forensic Art His- work, and the independence provided by the up the South Asian idea because it’s a political tory workshop led by Iftikhar Dadi, Anshuman government and organisers. The event is fund- construct. Lets see what the next one is like. Dasgupta, and Mariah Lookman that explored ed almost entirely by Samdani Art Foundation art histories that are not accessible through founders Rajeeb and Nadia Samdani — at a Its not a forever project, It’s a finite project. traditional sources such as archives and text cost of around USD $2million. “We got all of books. The workshop looked at reimagining lost our friends involved. A lot of them participate In the end our five editions will be like a move- art histories of exchange across East and West Pakistan and East and West Bengal. In a session on Another Asia, art historians and curators led by Rustom Bharucha and Suman Gopinath discussed the past, present, and possible future for inter-Asia artistic exchange and the steps necessary to revive these transnational histories. With over 300 artists, 65% of them Bangladeshi, featured in the 10 curated exhi- bitions, one questions how such a balance is achieved between genders and between local and international works. Diana will not have her curatorial vision limited in this way. “This isn’t a nationalist exercise”, says Betancourt. “If you read the labels of my section I took the names of the countries off, as some of these countries have also changed.” “We don’t have quotas and we don’t think about it that way. We’ve never thought Credits: Seher Shah, Randhir Sing, Studies in Form-Dhaka University Library, monoprint on Arches Aquarelle Credits: Installation view. Bearing Points curated by Diana Campbell Betancourt at DAS 2018, photo Pablo Bartholomew about it. Its about the work and how its goes in t is important to understand that today, One of their works reads “Were you dispos- longing and loss that you feel watching her per- the show. They are not in there because they are not as artists but as professionals, the amount ment that happened, so whatever the fifth one is given visa restrictions in the face of sessed/ displaced?” It is poignant and apt. form. Jatoi made it to Dhaka on her Pakistani Bangladeshi, they are in there because they fit of support is amazing” Nadia lights up while will reflect that.” growing nationalism, South Asia is not The tightening of borders and restricted passport with “great difficulty” she said. In case into the curatorial framework.” explaining. “It is 100% passion. Its just love. All as connected as it once was 5,000, or mobility that is determined by layers of privilege she didn’t make it, DAS prepared by training “It comes from looking at art all the our friends and supporters know that it’s all ‘I even 5 years ago. Today, there is more and access were reflected in the presence and an alternative performer, however I could not time,” she continues. “The other question is ap- from our heart.” Sophia Balagamwala is an artist based in Kara- connectivity between Bangladesh and Thailand lack thereof of the Pakistani artists and their imagine the space without her presence. parently my show is a 50/50 male female ratio. “They try not to be curators themselves”, chi. She has worked in a curatorial capacity with and Malaysia and Singapore than there is with works at the summit. With the visa process Betancourt shared that the Shahid Sajjad I never thought of it. Although if there were no Betancourt adds, speaking of the independence the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) since 2011 Bangladesh and India and Pakistan; as reflected being lengthy and extremely cumbersome, the piece as part of her exhibition Bearing Points, is female artists, I would be appalled. Even our and trust given to her as a curator. There is no and is currently the Lead Curator at the National by Bangladeshi airline flight paths.’ writes Sam- shipping of artworks being next to impossible, the most difficult work that she has ever worked collection at the Samdani Art Foundation is half intrusion from the government in either the History Museum, Greater Iqbal Park, Lahore. dani Art Foundation’s artistic director and the and long waits and police checks on arrival (this with. She had to re-rout it from elsewhere as female.” foundation nor the summit.” “The academy is Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) chief curator Diana goes both ways- for Bangladeshis visiting Paki- she was not allowed to ship the artwork directly 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Campbell Betancourt in her letter to readers in stan too), the presence of Pakistani artists and from Pakistan. It was expensive, time consum- this years DAS exhibition catalogue. their work has been a complicated process for ing, and very stressful when a lender backed South Asia is a political construct. the curators and organizers. out last minute. Yet it was important to have Borders, lines of control, and names of nation Launched by the Samdani Art Founda- this piece. Given the sculptor spent close to two states have changed many times in the past few tion in 2012, the Dhaka Art Summit includes years working in the foothills of Chittagong, it is centuries. And they continue to do so. Histories exhibitions, and a rich programming schedule ironic and a further testament to our rigid bor- have been written, revised, accepted and reject- featuring, talks, seminars and workshops. Since ders that it was so difficult for his work to come ed. Flight routes are created, rerouted and aban- its inception, the DAS has established itself a to Bangladesh. doned, visas are approved and denied, strings unique, non-commercial platform for contem- Questions of identity, mobility and are pulled. Sometimes it works and sometimes porary South and South Asian art, and critical displacement are confronted by several of the it doesn’t. The Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) this conversation around it. Pakistani artists their work. The work of Quetta year took to questioning and dismantling this The first work you see on entering the born, Australian based artist Khadim Ali poses construct. venue, Shilpakala Academy, is the tall red struc- questions about loss, migration, and history I made it to Dhaka with a foreign pass- ture of Karachi born, London based Rasheed tracing his families’ experiences as persecuted as port. I got there through Dubai, the direct Ka- Aareen, constructed onsite. “All the Pakistani members of the Hazara community. rachi to Dhaka flight was cancelled two weeks works were created here or printed here apart The Exhibition Planetary Planning beforehand, and this route took seven hours from Shahid Sajjad. So the work we showed for curated by Devika Singh, explores notions of longer. The curator who travelled with me came Omer Wasim and Saira Shaikh, it’s a beautiful world making that have been articulated in and from Islamabad and spent the night at Dubai work and it was printed here.” Explains Betan- from South Asia since the 1940s. In this space, airport to catch the same connection. I went to court. we find the works of Zarina Hashmi, whose life look at work, while Omer Wasim, an artist who Ayesha Jatoi performed the meditative and work are marked with the creation of lines was showing work there, did not make it. His piece Residue (2016 – 2018), in which she picks borders, and Lala Rukh’s drawings Mirror Image collaborative work with Saira Sheikh The Im- up one item of clothing after another from a and Nightscape from 2011 that deconstruct possibility of Loving a Stone (2017) was printed mammoth white pile, folds them and arranges space and landscape. In the same space, Karachi Credits: Installation view, Raqib Shaw at Dhaka Art Summit 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES in Dhaka and put up as per his instructions. them in neat new piles. There is a quiet sense of born, Delhi based Seher Shah’s large drawings in 28 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 29 through education within and beyond Pakistan. emerging artists from Pakistan will be selected and March of 2018. The lucky winners of the Since its inception, Professor Hashmi has been by jurors, Principle of the National College of residency are Amber Hammad, Mahbub Jokhio, heavily involved with the TCF, “Having been a Arts (NCA) Dr Murtaza Jafri, acclaimed art- Unum Baber & Matt Kushan. Profile | December 2017 great admirer of the TCF, I was pleased to help ist and Dean of The School of Visual Arts and With regards to the emerging artists with this project. I was there from the begin- Design at Beaconhouse National University, being selected for the residency, and to be an- ning of TCF and respect their model; to give the Rashid Rana, artist, Art Critic and Head of Fine nounced in Italy by three acclaimed women in underprivileged children of Pakistan the best Arts at the NCA, Quddus Mirza, artist, Head of the arts, along with a distinct presentation at the education they can receive, is a wonderful initia- Fine Art at the Indus Valley School of Art and Inaugural Lahore Biennale, I wonder how the tive. I have taken the time to train their teachers, Architecture (IVS) coordinator for VASL Aritst artist may react to such a daunting experience. starting fifteen years ago, in regards to the arts, Collective Adeela Suleman, along with Director, Professor Hashmi laughs while she states, “The and to help get their families involved” Collezione d’Arte Contempora- nea dei Musei Pakistani artist is a resilient animal… we can Art for a Cause When TCF approached Professor Hash- Vaticani, Rome, Micol Forti, Curator, Museo be very self-deprecating, which has much to do mi for the exhibition and residency program, Nazionale delle Ar ti del XXI Secolo (MAXXI), with our nature and culture from history”. As I she immediately knew she needed the help of Rome, Luigia Lonardelli and Independent cu- by Nour Aslam her good friend Rosa Maria Falvo, International rator, Art critic & Lecturer, Accademia di Belle Commissions Editor for Skira, and independent Arti di Brera, Milan, Marco Meneguzzo. curator whom has worked on projects such as Their residency will be hosted in Poggio the Dhaka Art Summit, Griogio Cini Founda- Verde Country Villa, an eight-hectare proper- tion at the Venice Biennale and several more. In ty, which has been part of Luigi Crosti’s family the early 1990’s, Falvo was visiting Pakistan with since 1897, and has recently united with the her partner Enrico Mascelloni. Mascelloni was Museo Diocesano, facilitated by Gretchen Cros- researching the area of Afghanistan and Paki- ti, wife of Luigi, who has been managing the stan, which lead to an exhibition at the Hono- Villa since 2014. In the early 1900’s, the villa was lulu Academy of Arts, “The Thousand and One mostly a farmstead for the family, which later look back at the history of artists of the country, this statement appears to hold true. Professor Hashmi has accomplished yet another extraordinary achievement in her career of expanding the horizons of arts from Pakistan and I ask why, “It is my way of giving back to the community, through mind and im- agination; this is my attempt to see if I can help in some capacity.” And I believe she has done just that. A special thank you to Professor Salima Hashmi for taking the time to speak to me, along with Asad Hayee, Gretchen Romig and Daniela Fontana for providing the information, and imag- es, needed for this article. Nour Aslam is currently at the Royal College of Art, continuing her studies in the masters course, Curating Contemporary Art. She studied at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York and has lived in several different cities around the world.

Days: The Art of Pakistani Women Miniaturists” became a retreat for the in 2005. Since then, Falvo and Professor Hash- family during World mi’s friendship has flourished, which has led War II. them to co-curate this exhibition. With its ex- The exhibition will include artists from tensive history, one s I sit watching Professor Salima Jin ke sar muntazir-e-tegh-e-jafa haiN un ko Globally, Professor Hashmi is admired Pakistan, both established and emerging, and becomes envious of the Hashmi, the matriarch of Pakistani Dast-e-qatil ko jhatak dainay ki taufeeq milay by all, especially as she unites Pakistan and will be selling as a benefit show for the TCF. artists from Pakistan Art, speak of the triumph of the La- India through the arts. Last year, she curated Artists include Faiza Butt, Naiza Khan, Adeela who will reside in this hore Literary Festival’s second Lon- Ishq ka sirr-e-nihan jaan tipa hai jis se the exhibition, “This Night Bitten Dawn”, at the Suleman, Hamra Abbas, Nusra Latif Qureshi, haven for ten days in 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Adon edition at a private reception in St. James, Aaj iqrar karein aur tapish mit jaye Devi Art Foundation and Gujral Foundation in Imran Qureshi, Adeel uz Zafar and another May of 2018. Maria I am struck by admiration, as she recites her India. Using the last piece of poetry her father twenty-five artists from the country, who will Rosa Falvo, contempo- father’s prayer: Harf-e-haq dil meiN khatakta hai jo kaante ki had written after the 1947 Partition, she paired be announced sooner to the date of the exhibi- rary artist Faiza Butt tarah artists from both India and Pakistan to create tion, in October 2018. As this exhibition is to and Collection curator “Aaiye hath uthaiyen hum bhi Aaj izhaar karein aur khalish mit jaye” an exhibition which examined the effects of this raise funds, Professor Hashmi and Falvo had to of Contemporary Art, Hum jinhen rasm-e-dua yaad nahin historic event and its impact on the future. narrow down the artists they selected for the ex- Museo del Novecen- Only then did I realize this is the same In her latest triumph, Professor Hashmi hibition, “This is artist’s for a cause, rather than to and Museo delle Hum jinhen soz-e-mohabbat ke siwa mantra she has used as an academic, curator, has partnered with The Citizen’s Foundation art for arts sake. Rosa and myself had to ensure Culture (MUDEC), Koyee butt koyee khuda yaad nahin artist and educator for the art community in (TCF) and the Italian Friends of The Citizens there is a high level of representation of art from Milan, Iolanda Ratti, Pakistan. For decades, Professor Hashmi has, Foundation (IFTCF), in sponsorship with the Pakistan to be displayed, it should relate to the announced the three Aaiye arz guzarain keh nigaar-e-hasti and still is, dedicating her life to promote the Embassy of Pakistan in Rome and The Italian richness of art in Pakistan.” artists, whom shall be Zehr-e-imroz mein sheereeni-e-farda bhar de arts of Pakistan, whether it be antique, modern, Embassy in Islamabad to not only, exhibit the The venue of the exhibition, Fondazione ranked from first to or contemporary. From her internationally cu- works of artists from Pakistan, but also to re- Sant’Ambrogio – Museo Diocesano, in Milan, third, on Woh jinhen taab-e-garaan baariye ayyam nahin rated shows, such as the pioneering exhibition, ward three emerging artists from the country to rejuvenated the cloisters of the Cathedral to November 16th at an Un kee palkon peh shab-o-roz ko halka kar de “Hanging Fire” at Asia Society in New York in travel to Milan for a residency. “Art for Pakistan: create a museum in 2001, a vision originat- event in Museo Dioc- 2009, to her curatorial vision for gallery Rohtas Contemporary Artists from Pakistan” will be ed by Archbishop Ildefonso Schuster back in esano, where the three Jinn kee aankhon ko rukh-e-subh ka yaara bhi II, which is always breaking the boundaries of a fundraiser in partnership with Fondazione 1931, was finally brought to life in. In the eyes discussed the exhibi- nahin today’s art scene in Pakistan and facilitating a Sant’Ambrogogio – Museo Diocesano in Milan, of Schuster, the Museo Diocesano, which was tion and the overall Un ki raaton mein koi shama munawwar kar de place for young artists to experiment and show- Skira editore, the Lahore Biennale Foundation ultimately inaugurated by Cardinal Carlo Maria objective of the project. case their practice. She also served as Dean for (LBF) and VASL Artists’ Association. All pro- Martini of Milan, was a space to celebrate the Out of the three artists, Jin ke qadmon ko kisi reh ka sahara bhi nahin two of the largest educational institutes of arts in ceeds of the benefit exhibition will go directly to arts. With Archbishop Schuster in mind, this the first prize victor Un ki nazroN pe koyee raah ujaagar kar de Pakistan, the National College of Arts and Bea- the TCF schools program to stipulate education- will be the first ever exhibition of Pakistani art will be announced at conhouse National University: School of Visual al means for students and teachers in Pakistan. in Italy, and what setting could be better than the Inaugural Lahore Jin ka deen pairawi-e-kizb-o-riya hai un ko Arts and Design, and shifted the landscape of The Citizen’s Foundation, established in this. Biennale, set to take Himmat-e-kufr milay jurrat-e-tehqeeq milay Pakistani art for future generations. 1995, has been promoting positive social change As exciting as this all may be, three lucky place between February 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 30 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 31 tivity, utopia and ideality, sincerity, sentimental- fresh artworks as well as young artists an acces- never really diluting or dissolving any bound- ity”. According to Epstein, all these concepts are sible space to sustain their creative expression. aries – in fact reinforcing them. The irony of it now being reintroduced as “trans-subjectivity, Although ‘Art’ production and its dis- all is that the most renowned artists and their In Focus | March 2018 trans-idealism, trans-utopianism, trans-orig- semination in the age of Social media is demo- works are least visible in their own country inality, trans-sentimentality” etc. to place cratic, self-governing and egalitarian, it is still because internationalism (another boundary) ‘post-post modernity’ into yet another box. time and place bound. A recent artist survey takes precedence over local exhibits. As a con- Many scholars (including the British scholar enlists the top Instagram sensations; Banksy sequence of this exclusivity, their value escalates Alan Kirby and cultural theorists Timotheus (‘the Most Famous Anonymous’), Cindy Sher- creating a monetary hegemony and many more Vermeulen, Robin van den Akker and Eric man (‘The Master of Disguise’), JR (‘A Prolific economic barriers in the art market. Gans) have also ascribed words to define the Photographer’), Evoca1 (‘An Activist’), Guerrilla In almost all social media introductory direction of current times. Consequentially, the Girls (‘The Feminist Art Collective’), CYRCLE biographies, there is heavy dependency on the Is Art Really moment we (humans) assign a word to an idea (‘An Exciting Duo’), Jeff Koons (‘The King of artists’ ethnicity, region or country of origin in or phenomena or endorse a concept, we give it Postmodernism), David Choe (‘A Korean gone order to define his/her positionality. Open any worth and value, we bestow responsibility on it, bad’), Petra Collins (‘Capturing Youth, Sexuality ubiquitous browser to read web intros of em- we concretize it and inadvertently exert power and Femininity’), KAWS (‘An Artist Without inent practitioners or search a random typical over it – Ripped off its abstraction, we enjoy the Borders’), Shepard Fairey (‘Blurring the Bound- social media ‘status’. There is a pattern to it; the control and the limitation it brings, hence giving ary Between Traditional and Commercial Art’), country, the place of belonging or location is Beyond Borders? rise to more borders, boundaries, delusions and Sickboy, (‘An Infamous Graffiti Artist’), Kenny stated directly after one’s name. The achieve- definitions. Scharf (‘The Practice Full of Color’), Martin ment or practice comes later. It’s a basic human Art beyond borders can be dangerous, Parr (‘The Chronicler of Our Times’), Ai Weiwei instinct, this natural tendency to identify and by Rabeya Jalil self-dismissive and nihilistic. If art is really (‘The Artist and Activist’), Daniel Arsham (‘A classify people through the spaces and borders beyond limits, it would mean that anything and Crafty Magician’), Olafur Eliasson (‘Creating they live in (and later perhaps, through their oc- everything falls under it. In other words, it leads Immersive Environments’), Pixel Pancho (‘A cupation). Hence artists can seldom be beyond to absolute anarchy. If anything and everything Friend of Robots’), Anish Kapoor (‘An Influen- borders. Even if they have migrated to a foreign ‘Art’ has been traversing paradigms. is art (or intended to be) - if ‘visual art’ is de- tial Sculptor’). Some of these practices, includ- land, they will always be categorized as the ‘dias- It is (or may seem to be) inherently beyond void of (or beyond) beautification and aesthetic ing that of Cindy Sherman, involve prolific pho- p o r a’. borders because it keeps pushing its limits and concerns - if visual pleasure and formal under- tography designed only for Instagram/ social The moment we interact with someone for the fields of inquiry. Ideally, for something to be standing are no longer under its purview - if an media dissemination. KAWS moves beyond the first time, we bring our entire history with us in a ‘work of art’, it ought to be a novelty - some- artist could be any person who knows well the realm of the art market hierarchy to engage with the most unassuming and honest ways (accent, thing that is aligned with the pulse of its time, trick of her/his trade and is able to discern and something that reacts to time, something that see afresh - if creativity is the domain of any stands the test of time, and something that is profession – then what is the realm of the ‘Arts’? ahead of its time. In this essay I argue that Art What is its forte? Inclusivity could be self-de- is not (so much) beyond borders. Once you structive. break, circumvent or transcend a border, you Art, as a notion or word (colloquially and in create another one by default. This idea may be academic discourse), has been straddling mul- a metaphysical one if we believe in the ontolog- tiple grounds in the last few decades. A lot of it, ical; humans have certain attributes and innate predominantly due to advances in social/ new characteristics necessary to their identity and media, and exponentially developing ICT and being. digital networks. Obsessed with their virtual, For the sake of limits, ‘borders’ here augmented and mixed realities, humans seek are considered a man-made concept and not a compulsive validation, instant gratification and natural phenomenon. However, topographical endless self-assurance in this ultra-connected CINDY SHERMAN: IMITATION OF LIFE COURTESY DOLA.COM physical features of ‘natural barriers’ (rivers age. All this ought to influence the production and mountains) have been used my humans, of Art and, and its maker – the artist – now a the complex global commercial market with clothes, color, body shape, demeanor, vernacu- for centuries, as a means to politically divide. Anish Kapoor | Shelter (2007) | courtesy: Artsy self-marketing whore. no reservations in placing high art in the wider lar, education). Everything falls into respective According to Border Theories in early modern Hence, the meaning and role of an artist visual culture. boxes and boundaries (for people who can Europe, the meaning of the term became crisper versa. Artists respond with a range of pedagog- Church was considered the interpreter of divine also changes, evolves or convolutes. Self-aware- We, of course, ought to acknowledge read). Nothing is devoid of mental barriers. Art in the 18th century. It acquired a linear form ical, cognitive and intuitive strategies to domes- revelation. Modernism was enveloped as a that these digital networking methods have or any kind of creative expression behaves in a over an abstract one, and denoted a line of divi- ticate art and make meaning of their creative period based on totalitarianism, empiricism, nevertheless expanded the nature, dynamics similar manner. It is inherently political because sion. Cult ideologies determined physical state outcome. logic, and a dependency on grander narratives. and strategies of art production. It has broad- it embodies a form. The form becomes content territories, so borders and frontiers were ruled As we step into Post-postmodernity (po Postmodernity was about excessive skepticism ened our horizon of thinking. However, a few and the content is guarded by its meaning and by state ideologies and socio-political thoughts. po mo) or meta-modernism as some may call and nihilism of those archetypal narratives. It aspects of this approach still remain restricted. context. Political thought, of any kind, ought to The progression of human thought gives it (although these designations are not main- celebrated the universality of art, architecture, It is ironic that many artists’ work on social be polemic; it inadvertently develops borders to stream yet) – we create yet another boundary critical theory, literature, culture and philoso- rise to new philosophical boundaries. Fresh media is either site-specific or ephemeral, which uphold its ideological sanctity (or physical ter- 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES milestones and practices develop that reflect its for our self. phy. Everyone was right; all opinions mattered; confines their practice to a time and space. Most ritory). Breaking barriers simply means making zeitgeist and outlive the beliefs and canons of Premodernism (1650 onwards) was all voices were heard; anything was believable works are only photographic re-presentations. new ones. Boundaries help humans keep a track older times. Changing paradigms, instinctively about revealed knowledge from authoritative and dismissive at the same time. Some (particularly those of Ai Wei Wei, Jeff of themselves and to define themselves. It helps sources. The source of ‘Ultimate Truth’ was So, values and meanings keep hopping or consciously, shape the arts, aesthetics, emo- SHEPPARD FAIREY MUHAMMAD ALI, Screen Print, courtesy, obeygiant.com Koons and Anish Kapoor) are more like meta them to belong. tional power and creative thinking of its era. primarily through direct revelation or divin- from one envelope to the other through ages. productions or meta displays. They indicate the Cultural ideologies influence artists and vice ity. According to the Western belief system, Recent attempts define post-postmodernism ness and self-placement become essential. One presence of something original elsewhere – the Rabeya Jalil is an art educator and visual artist as a time where “faith, trust, dialogue, perfor- needs to know the art and craft of marketing, online presence is a kind of simulacrum - mere- based in Lahore. She did her Masters in Art and mance, and sincerity can work to transcend representation and projection. It is more im- ly indexical and iconic. Art Education (Ed.M.) from Columbia Universi- postmodern irony” , hence giving time and portant than ever to be visible and even more Alternative virtual art spaces, parallel ty, Teachers College, New York, in 2013. context new kinds of terms, forms, boundaries important to be viral. ‘Likes’ or ‘Followers’ realities, global online platforms and digital and borders. The Arts, some say, is now entering determine how famous, immersed or integrated networks have reflexively influenced art histo- a ‘post-conceptual’ zone. Landscape architect you are. The gauge and parameter for an ‘artist’ ry, staunch academia, critical theory and the 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-postmodernism and urban planner Tom Turner (1995) criti- changes; the boundaries shift, but are not tran- strategies of making but these phenomena have cizes the postmodern doctrine of ‘everything 2 City as Landscape: A Post Post-modern View of Design scended. Artists just have an additional agency also given birth to many un-trained, self taught and Planning, (Taylor & Francis: London 1995), p. 9 and anything’, and suggests a kind of ‘po po mo’ to creatively express and be visible. artists who have received considerable limelight that “seeks to temper reason with faith.” More Instagram is a network sensation. This and constructive critique from the ‘stakeholders’. 3 City as Landscape: A Post Post-modern View of Design specifically, he advocates for “timeless geometri- photo sharing service is an extraordinary plat- All this perhaps seems to water down hegemony and Planning, (Taylor & Francis: London 1995), cal and organic patterns in urban planning . The form for viewers (or followers) to get hooked and decentralize power and authority, but per- 4 Epstein, Mikhail; Genis, Alexander; Vladiv-Glover, Russian-American scholar Mikhail Epstein in to their favorite artists creative journeys. The haps not yet. The gatekeepers of the art world 1999 foresaw postmodernity becoming con- Slobodanka. Russian Postmodernism. New Perspectives on artists are able to present their works to a di- and mainstream artists (although they may have Post-Soviet Culture. Berghahn Books: New York, 1999. ventional and paving way for a new, non-ironic verse and large audience (which nonetheless is a strong, analogous social media existence), still kind of poetry, which he describes using the beyond national, geographic borders), allowing heavily rely on institutional patronage, public 5http://www.focusing.org/apm_papers/epstein.html prefix ‘-trans’ . The later part of the 20th century direct communication with the art patrons, programming, museum support and State af- 6 https://www.widewalls.ch/10-artists-to-follow-on-insta- stated mostly as “post,” suggests an exit of mod- viewers and collectors. In a way, it has become filiation. Only the top tier manage to cut across gram/ Ai Weiwei, Grapes, 2010.Courtesy, ArchDaily ern concepts of “truth, objectivity, soul, subjec- an art dealer/ art manager as well that allows borders and travel for international coverage; 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 32 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 33 of soul (the being). ‘Shahab e Saqib’ [ix] was a with 36 solo expositions and several group [vi] an approach that concentrates on the study of cosmic allegory of achieving marifaat[x]. ‘Rukh shows at public and private venues in Pakistan, consciousness and the objects of direct experience e Mustafa’[xi] was centered on the devotional Australia, Japan, USA, Canada, Norway, France, Profile | Feb 2018 practice of Dhikr facilitated through the Heart. UK, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. [vii] In the Sufi order it refers to the inner reality The Heart is central and bears witness to of Prophet Muhammadpbuh. the spiritual quest. It is the site of spiritual encoun- ter. The trace and taste of what is witnessed never [viii] Son of Mary leaves the Heart. ‘Rukh-e-Mustafa’ recounts this Saira Danish Ahmed is the Associate Editor at witnessing of the Heart. It seeks to dwell in the [ix] In 2009 Chawkandi Gallery hosted Shahab e ArtNow Pakistan, Karachi. She was a special cor- luminescence of Noor-e- Mohammad (pbuh) Saqib. An urdu term for meteor. respondent representing ArtNow at the Karachi [xii], in the consummation of spiritual encounter Biennale 2017 and is part of the KB Discursive. Sumaya Durrani- the experienced as Dhawq or taste in the vessel of the [x] Mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth Heart. It recounts the spiritual quest as it unfolds reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than in the states of the Heart when the Face of the revealed or rationally acquired. Beloved is unveiled in the stations of the Heart. [xiii] [xi] exhibited in 2014 at the Aman House. Unbridled Silence of an The early months of 2015 saw a series of performances under the aegis of ‘Witness’[xiv]. [xii] The Light of Mohammad. ‘Wahid’[xv] was performed in partnership with her husband, Nadeem Ahmed, at the Karachi [xiii] Artist’s concept for Rukh e Mustafa. Literature Festival before an audience of artists and critics. A spiritual feast of ‘Man o Salwa’[x- [xiv] Unfortunately Enraptured Soul vi] was served[xvii] at Koel Café. A continuum Witness, though of ‘Witness’, sub-titled ‘Mirror of the Intellect’, witnessed, was not by Saira Danish Ahmed was performed in collaboration with many art- documented or reviewed by any art critics and ists and critics at the Imran Mir Foundation. writers despite their presence at these perfor- In recent years there has been a ten- mances. dency of classifying Sumaya as an artist who that the shift in subject is merely visual. The her ideology. Her ideas no longer restrict them- has shed the garb of modernity to find solace [xv] Al Wahid (unique)- One of the 99 names of work has always been rooted in tradition and selves to two dimensional planes. She unbridles in spirituality and tradition. I cannot help but Allah. the spiritual. When I did question her about the them to commandeer the three dimensional disagree with this postulation. Of the time I stark shift in imagery- from the blonde nudes of space all around her. have spent in her company not once did I come [xvi] Food from the heavens provided to the tribe ‘Descent’ (1993-2003) to the appropriated por- The visual and intellectual narrative across a parable professing to the converting of Bani Israel trayal of the iconic Virgin Mary in ‘Ibn e Mar- seems to challenge the philosophical inquiry of of her susceptibilities from that of the profane yam’ (2006) to a more allegorical and abstract Sartre’s existentialism[iv]. Her work seems to be to the spiritual. What I did come upon was a language of ‘Shahab e Saqib’(2009)- she replied a strong voice contesting the existential analytics highly passionate soul, with an insatiable mind, [xvii] Nadeem Ahmed and Noorjehan Bilgrami with of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche’s concrete know- reflective of and deeply rooted in the mystical were also a part of Man o Salwa. They helped the er, who is an individual understanding himself, order of Sufism, one which is submerged in the artist serve the spiritual food and drinks to the Na Dil Badla, Na Dil Ki Arzu Badli Na Wo Badlay not through introspection, but by means of absolute truth–clearly a cognizance not recently guests. Mein Kaisay Itabar e Inqalab e Asman Kar Loon logical investigations and interpretations of baptized. [iii] the world in which he is physically rooted. The The artist openly positions the escalation [xviii] ‘Enchanted Works’, 2003- Dr Muhammad artist appears to attribute the transcendental[v] of her current practice as a result of the censor- Ali Siddiqui, Literary Scholar and Critic. The verse spoke volumes, as verses phenomenology[vi] to the downfall of man ship imposed on her. She is known for speaking always do, thereby grounding my observation in today. her mind. Not known for sugar-coating her [i] The artist stayed with the writer for three the affirmative. Or, at least that is what it seems Sumaya Durrani’s latest works strong- words she is often forced into retreat due to months. like at present, while I am writing this piece. It ly and openly reject the Eurocentric model political censorship imposed on her by many art remember seeing Sumaya Durrani’s lith- is not easy to understand the complexity that of humanism. Her art elevates the absolute critics and artists in Pakistan. The hiatus is tem- [ii] Masterpiece ographs while I was a student of art in the porary and the art world witnesses a resilient mid-nineties. The quality of line and the and irrepressible artist emerging not only once [iii] Poetry of Prof. Tajwar complex compositions enticed the mind, again but time and again. Najibabadi. A poet, histo- Icaptivating it for days to come. There are certain ‘She believes in herself and in doing so rian and lexicographer he artists who continue to be etched in your mind she is prepared to pay the cost of being very much was also Sumaya Durra- despite the years passing by. She continued in herself ’[xviii] ni’s grandfather. The writer my mind through her works. At present Sumaya Durrani is pursu- has chosen not to translate

Sumaya’s early works were immersed in ing a Doctor of Philosophy at UNSW Art and the verse in English as 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES multicultural mindfulness and feminism. This Design, University of New South Wales, Sydney. the spirit of what the poet was the mid-eighties when she had returned She is also editing a collection of journals on (and in this case the artist) from training abroad. In less than a decade, the theory, art criticism and aesthetics drawn from is communicating will be narrative protracted from sexual perception of the legacy of her grandfather, poet, historian, lost in translation. the female form to that of clear spiritual align- lexicographer, Prof. Tajwar Najibabadi, Shamsul ment. In 1995 Chawkandi Gallery showcased Ulema- e-Hind, by the Order of the British Em- [iv] A cultural movement ‘Works in Progress’ which saw a spiritual orien- pire, Baleeghul Mulk. She has exhibited widely of the 50’s that seemed to tation of the body. The crux of the show, how- fade away but resurfaces ever, was missed by art critics and artists alike today as a philosophical who regarded the exhibition as a trajectory of inquiry turning away her earlier narrative. from speculative systems As the years progressed, the art-world brews within her mind. It is not easy to get knowledge and the soul (qalb) – soliciting the of the abstract to claim saw a marked transference in her visual vocab- answers from Sumaya. She wants you to answer divine through a personalized visual language. personal concerns of ‘truth ulary. The figurative imagery of the nude female them and in so doing unfold the dynamics of Through her practice she expounds on the through subjectivity’- a form was gradually replaced by abstract pulsat- existence. Through her work she wants to em- affluences of the philosophy of the Divine, and transcendental phenome- ing forms and intrepid calligraphy – it was what power you to find the truth. Don’t ask her. Ask on the ethics and aesthetics of Islamic tradi- nology. appeared to be a replacement of the profane yourself. All the answers are present, like the tion. The manifestation of the Absolute exudes with the mystical. cosmos, within you. through the many intellectual allegories com- [v] In Kantian philosophy In 2014 my husband and I had the priv- Today the artistic vocabulary evolves municated through space and symbols conse- of, pertainingto, based ilege of hosting[i] her while she worked on the through material shapes, penetrating colors, crated in an impenetrable arching that signifies upon, or concerned with multifaceted and extensive project ‘Shahkaar’ rhythmic strokes and bold calligraphy on a wide the cosmic breadth and inner reality of ‘al a priori elements inexpe- [ii]. For me, the close propinquity was a psy- range of scales; from those of great magnitude haqiqat al muhammadiyah’[vii]. rience,which condition chedelic experience to say the least. Privy to her to small scale canvases. There is an unquencha- ‘Ibn e Maryam[viii]’ was a testament of human knowledge. conversations, and at times quietly shadowing ble restlessness in her. Her mind seems to be on the reconciliation of the transitory world of the her while she worked, I came to the realization fire ready to unleash the primordial powers of body (form) with the timeless and eternal world All images courtesy Summaya Durrani 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 34 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 35 the Potowar plateau and Spain. The more I The possibilities of interpretation are endless. supposed to become my future. It hasn’t been layered this mixture of ground earth, resins, and The small touch of red acrylic amidst the smoke easy though. I’ve had to look at my work and binders onto the wooden base, the deeper I felt I signifies the atrocities that are inflicted on man also the gallery and also make sure that I am Profile | Feb 2018 was going in to the layers of the earth. The phys- by man. fostering a new generation of artists. Sometimes ical act of painting felt like the act of tayammum I feel very guilty as if I am neglecting my prac- (ablution to cleanse before our daily prayers), NA: So while you were investigating the loss tice so when I come home from the gallery at 7 both physically and spiritually. of humanity and logic in the smoke paintings 30pm, that is when I start my day in the studio. you were also charting a physical representa- Sometimes i’m here till 2, 3 am. When I am NA: Some of your work from the 90s like ‘The tion of loss in your nail and screw works in the in my studio I forget about my other commit- open Door’ features such thickly applied pig- 2000s like in‘Bhulay Raastay’ (Lost Ways)? ments. ment that it looks like exposed earths crust. In Conversation with The lines between two dimensional and three NA: What are you currently working on? dimensional work are also blurred during this period and the symbol of the bird, which RA: I’ve really been enjoying working with ter- seems to be something of a personal totem racotta and installation. I take plenty of inspi- for you, is introduced during this time. What ration from translations of the Quran and one Riffat Alvi caused this progression? such is the mention of khankhanatee mithee’ (Shimmering Soil). I made an installation piece RA: Karachi was rife with unrest in the 90s. called ‘khankhanatee Mithee’ that is made up of A colleague likened the lawlessness and com- terracotta pieces suspended on fish wires. When by Noor Ahmed motion in the city to Farid ud-Din Attar’s 12th the wind blows or if someone touches the piece century poem ‘Conference of the Birds’. The it jingles. This idea is what i am currently inves- personification of animals to creatures with the tigating. same kinds of feelings and concerns as humans, chose to be married caring for their young the same way and dealing NA: ‘Khankhanatee Mithee’ engages multiple to. I’m from a military with similar notions of self preservation was senses. Do you like the possibilities that this man- Noor Ahmed (NA): We are a month away family but I enjoyed comforting to me. It provided some distance ner of work affords? from your seventieth birthday; how old were the luxury of being in a and thus some clarity to observe myself and my you when you first felt an affinity towards art? field that was free from kind. This reflection resulted in a series called RA: Yes I certainly do. Since making this piece military intervention. I ‘Song of the Birds’. I have noticed that I paint on canvas a lot less Riffat Alvi(RA): I loved using my hands to cre- got a job teaching art in because I am at a point where I find my installa- ate something. I remember being eight years old schools but eventually NA: ‘Song of the Birds’ was a series of wood- tion pieces are more engaging means of com- and moulding clay into figurines. The physical found that limiting. In panels covered in earth pigments and sculp- munication. The possibilities are endless. act of sculpting and creating was very satisfying the 80’s I began work- tural details in the form of rickety ledges upon and I realised it was something that I was good ing for the Sindh Small which sat hundreds of birds. Your time at the NA: Ample possibility seems like a good note for at. I was apprehensive of what my family, in Industries as a Designer Sindh Small Industries is reflected here be- us to end on. Thank you Riffat Apa. particular my religiously inclined mother would and would travel all cause I believe you worked with local potters think, so I would make the small clay figurines across Sindh studying to develop the bird. How did this affect the and then hide them behind flower pots in our local artisans and their making of the series? garden. My mother would sometimes find them craft. Noor Ahmed is an independent artist, critic and and get very upset at me and tell me that angels curator based in Karachi, Pakistan. After study- RA: I moulded one bird and then gave it to the would not come into the house if there were NA: I can certainly see ing History of Art and Fine Art in New York, she potters to create lookalikes in bulk. Our local RA: In ‘Bhulay Raastay’ I was hammering nails ‘idols’ inside our muslim home. the influence of your returned to her city of birth in 2014 to cultivate craftsmen are also artists but they rarely get and screws onto a wooden board. The act was time at Sindh Small her own artisitc practice. appreciated. Their contribution allowed me to physically demanding but it was also cathartic NA: In many ways art allowed for you to Industries in your fulfill the vision I had and together we made because it acknowledged the loss and suffering maintain a certain autonomy that women of work, particularly in something new. that was prompting the your generation did not have. the ‘Conference of the smoke paintings. Birds’ series that are NA: You chose to work with local potters but RA: That is true but I didn’t foresee this. I was a kind of painting/ the black and white birds in your work stead- NA: You have been a never good at math or history and by the time sculpting hybrid. But fastly refuse to intermingle. They seldom even working artist since I finished school at the Convent of Jesus and for a long time you appear on the same panel. What significance before you became Mary I was sure that I wanted to enroll at an identified not as a does the color hold? Director at the VM Art School. At the time, Rabia Zuberi’s Karachi sculptor but as a paint- Art Gallery since its School of Art was the only art school in Karachi. er- why did you try to RA: Both birds are identical in size and shape, inauguration in 1987, My mother did not want me to study further separate the two?

the only difference in their appearance is their but your work as an 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES but Rabia Apa was instrumental in convincing colour. The more significant difference is that artist has largely been my parents to let me attend. Spending the next RA: Mansoor Rahi told appropriate for earth to be the medium through the black birds sing whereas the white ones are eclipsed by the role of four years at KSA and learning from Rabia Apa, me that I had a talent for painting but I real- which I explored the nuances of lived experienc- silent. There is a great number of both of them Director. Few would Hajra Mansoor and Mansoor Rahi was a dream ly became a painter instead of a sculptor as a es. The first pigments that I collected in Zim- but they cannot talk to each other. What ensues brave the loneliness come true. Upon gradating in 1973, my sisters compromise to my mother. The sculptor in me babwe were scraped off the side of a hill. It was is the chaos of the Conference of the Birds. and scant rewards of were all married but I was confident about never really went away though; even my early very hands on in the same way that sculpting is. such a commitment. wanting to dedicate myself to art-that is what I oil and watercolor paintings from the 80s were NA: Speaking of black and white, your smoke Has it been a challenge very layered. Then upon NA: The physicality of the material is reflected paintings which began in the early 90s, also maintaining both a visit to Zimbabwe in in your pigment paintings but there is also a follow a strict color code. The abstract fig- Director and Artist 1991 I came across Helen real engagement with history and your sur- ures made from black smoke are all the more personas? Leros who was working roundings. Your 1993 show at VM Art Gal- haunting when paired with the brilliant white with earth pigments in lery, ‘Lost Civilisations’ was your first major of the acrylic background. Why these colors RA: I think an artist emulation of the indige- show using this medium. The paintings, with and why this medium? must learn to take criti- nous folk artists and I was their rich maroon, brown, ochre hues came cism and this balance of inspired to substitute my across as archeological finds from the sites RA: 93-94 was a very sensitive time in Karachi. both personalities has chemical tube paints for that had inspired you, as if their history was Body bags would fill the streets and sectarian been critiqued. If one this natural pigment. We reincarnated through the lens of the artist. violence was as jarring as it was becoming com- is fortunate enough to are made of earth and to Did you mean to become the arbiter of an mon. I happened upon this medium by accident learn a skill you must the earth we shall return alternate, living history? when carrying a flame too close to a canvas distribute that skill to so I thought it was very during a power outage, but it seemed like the the next generation. appropriate for earth to RA: That show was about Mohenjo-Daro and appropriate channel to talk about the violence. I feel as if this gallery be the medium through the Altamira cave paintings from Spain. Both The black and white stand out just like the crime was made for me- i’ve which I explored the nu- civilizations were no longer in existence so I felt that they represent stood out. I also like that one spent 30 years here. I ances of lived experiences. an obligation to bring them back to our reality. can’t sense the structure of a pencil or a brush also feel that the art that The first pigments that I In fact the pigments I used were sourced from or a human hand with this method of drawing. God put inside me was 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES All images courtesy Noor Ahmed 36 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 37 canvases. Her use of it is interesting as the lines stand that as people, we care only for ourselves; that result from the break between the canvases we are selfish and have exploited this earth and add a wonderful aesthete to the works. Another inhabitants without consideration. Nonetheless, Review | May 2017 use of these lines comes from the quadriptychs. we still need these things to survive and if they Each of the quads have a cross running through disappear, eventually, so will we. So, Rahman gives us hope; if we change, maybe our future will not be so bleak. /Read more...

‘Blind Oblivion’, paintings by Laila Rahman were PROFILE| The Anatomy of a City – exhibited at Chawkandi Art gallery, Karachi from In Conversation with Naiza Khan the 18th-25th April, 2017. Images courtesy of by Nimra Khan Chawkandi Art gallery Blind Oblivion “Naiza Khan is an internationally acclaimed artist living and working between London and Karachi. She is Senior Advisor at the Department of Visual Studies, University of Karachi, and a member of the Board of Governors, Indus Valley School of Art and Architec- by Jovita Alvares Jovita Alvares is a visual artist from the Indus ture, Karachi..” Valley School of Art and Architecture and has joined ArtNow Pakistan as designer, sub-editor PROFILE | In conversation with the and writer for the magazine. director of Manchester Museum, Dr. Nick Merriman he seed, as miniscule and simple as it by Jovita Alvares may seem, has always been appreciat- “Nick Merriman was appointed as Director of the [1] Interview with artist, Laila Rahman. Manchester Museum in March 2006. Since then he ed as the most primary and essential the centre of the works. Strangely, this cross also has focused its mission on promoting understanding source of life. Traced back to mythol- resembles the one seen when aiming through between cultures and working towards a sustainable [2] Samuel Beckett, From the catalogue, Blind world, and has overseen the refurbishment of most of ogiesT of creation, it is often read that the first a gun rifle, a human invention, and one then the Museum’s permanent galleries.” Oblivion paintings by Laila Rahman form of life that sprouted across the new barren realizes that the subjects of these paintings are land was vegetation of every kind; all sorts of in fact, in the crossfires of these weapons. This PROFILE | Saira Sheikh-Obituary seed-bearing plants, fruits and trees. brilliant use of the lines by the artist shows us by Rabeya Jalil Laila Rahman has had quite a longstand- that, whether it is the defenceless pomegranate, “Very few people are as dynamic as her; she was a visual artist, writer, researcher, art academic, admin- ing dialogue with creation in her practice. She the virtues or the shell, nothing is safe from the istrator and a mother. Sheikh did her B.A. in English Literature & Psychology from Kinnaird College, a BFA traces it back to a show held at Koel Gallery in destruction of human hands. from the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, Pa- 2012 and this concern has evolved as the years The artist lives and teaches in Lahore as kistan and an EdM from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York.” have gone by. In her most recent exhibition, well as works as an independent artist, display- ‘Blind Oblivion’, held at Chawkandi Art, Rah- ing nationally and internationally. Her work is man again voices her trepidations about the displayed in the House of Commons Permanent PROFILE | An Uncanny Simplicity conception of the world and saddening transi- Collection, London; the Victoria and Albert by Zohreen Murtaza tion from utopia to its dystopian present. Museum, London; the Strang Print Collection, “To look at a work by the eminent artist, activist and educationist Lala Rukh is to not just to be witness to As the story goes, the wonderful Gar- UCL, London; the Transcultural Gallery, Brad- the “invisible property” Danto refers to but it is to den of Eden was created for all species to live in ford; Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford; the immerse oneself in it. It is the promise of a beauty in nature that has been stripped of the unnecessary harmony and at the heart lay the Tree of Life. to corruption. This can be seen in ‘Forsaken’; Rahman has used the moon in much of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA and appendages that had fascinated and dominated much of the discourse of Western art till the arrival of Mod- It held seed-bearing fruit but was forbidden as the crimson limbs impinge the canvas, they her previous works; however, it does not seem the National College of Arts, Lahore. They are ernism but it is also much more.” to Man. As long as it lay untouched, the world gradually take over the delicately rendered grey to be present here at all. The moon that is widely also owned in private collections in Australia, remained beautiful and calm. Rahman depicts world, inhabited by animals and plants. There thought of as gentle, beautiful and a symbol of France, India, Italy, Kenya, Pakistan, Portugal, this is in the first piece she painted namely ‘The was peace and splendour in the world, Rahman light does not seem to have any room in these the United Kingdom and United States. For more, visit: Archipelago of Happiness’. The diptych is over- says, much before the creation of the human; it works of destruction. There is a realization that http://www.artnowpakistan.com Rahman wonderfully captures the All images courtesy Laila Rahman powered with cooling hues of blues and greens. is the human species that has led to its down- just like the moon, there is no space for the gen- ephemerality of the fruit and makes one under At the focal point lie innumerable branches ward spiral, as “people are dedicated to being tleness in the world anymore; there is so much laden with spheres within which are compressed corrupt”[1] chaos and destruction that the present and fu- several living things. The scene is prosperous As one who has always drawn inspi- ture seem hopeless. One understands also, that and tranquil, emphasized further by the perfect- ration from myth and literature, Rahman also history is repeating itself; we have continuously ly balanced composition centred between the draws her inspiration from Plato’s ‘Ship Of been hearing of unrests and turmoil, not only two square canvases. Most importantly, it is a Fools’, which has inspired others in the past. in our own country, but all over and even of setting devoid of human presence. These include Albrecht Dürer and Hieronymus the past we have heard more stories of war and Unfortunately, owing to Man’s intrigue, Bosch who used outcasts of human society to death than we have of peace. a fruit was plucked from the Tree of Life. It depict these ‘fools’. Rahman however, takes a Nevertheless, through all the sadness

was eaten and consequently led to the end of different and more interesting approach; by the world has faced, as human beings we need 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES paradise. This despondency emerges in her showing that human society has instead shipped to move forward, to have hope and strife to be other pieces. No longer serene, the rest of the off good virtues and left the actual fools ashore. the change we want to see. Rahman too, un- canvases are painted with striking warm tones, Her painting, named after the book, is of a derstands this; the last piece of work made for unsettling, as they seem to almost jump off the pomegranate spread out to resemble a ship and this exhibition is ‘Endless Night’. The colour canvas. ‘The Land of Lost Content’ is a great surrounded by water. As this organic boat sails, palette reverts back to the cool tones of her first example of this. Similar to the previous artwork, it carries with it seven human figures with an- piece and in the centre of the quadriptych lays multiple branches centre the diptych. However, imal heads, each one representing a virtue. On the nautilus shell. In nature, the nautilus starts unlike the preceding tree that emanated a mys- the far left stands the antelope which is a symbol of as a tiny form and slowly grows by adding tical glow, this one is cold, with colours remi- for adaptability. Below, sit the unicorn and lion, chambers around it, thereby creating spirals. It niscent of death. Gigantic pomegranates hover symbolizing innocence and courage respectively is known for laying the groundwork for mathe- among the tendrils of the plant, overripe and and near them is the wolf, a sign for guardian- matician Leonardo Pisano Bigollo to figure out drenched in a poisonous red. ship and mothering. Then comes the butterfly, the Fibonacci sequence, which shows that the In this show, the pomegranate becomes a symbol for metamorphosis; the dragonfly is nautilus was created so efficiently by nature that the focal figure of representation. Sensual in na- free will and finally, on the absolute right, stands their growth and movement could be mathe- ture, the fruit once cut open, forms into curva- the monkey looking towards the sea and repre- matically understood. It becomes a symbol of ceous tendrils, which resemble the human form senting intelligence. All wait calmly on the ship, optimism for Rahman because of its nature to in a way. Its seeds give the impression of lovely with no destination in sight as they are shipped continuously grow amidst diversity and so she rubies and it is greatly enjoyed by many. Howev- off to nothingness. Again here the red stands out ends her oeuvre with gentler tone, an image of er, Rahman takes the beautiful produce, maims violently against the subdued blue of the figures hope, a necessity for us all. It also resembles the it and provides an almost horrid entity for the and background. It is interesting to see that the moon, in a way, with its almost perfect circular audience. She explains that the most beautiful reflection of the fruit is whole as opposed to parameter as well as similar colours. and innocent are destroyed first; it is just way of its actual state; like a mirage of the past before As an artist, Rahman explains that she people. The maltreated fruit is her vehicle to de- being disfigured by humans. has always had a preference for the square. This scribe all forms of power in society; consistent “The Moon is weary…of climbing heaven and can clearly be seen in all her pieces where every power struggles in any size, shape or form lead gazing on the likes of us.”[2] diptych and quadriptych is made up of square 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 38 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 39 and questioning authority and perceptions. Ex- es of the frames, to layered large scale murals, ercising artistic agency, she blurs the boundaries onto multichannel immersive animations while between fact and fiction. For Sikander to find maintaining the aspect of infinity critical to Profile | March 2018 resonance with the past in the present and the unpack traditional miniature is a natural pro- future is important for it to be relevant, some- gression in Sikander’s trajectory. Repetition, thing which can be experienced throughout her layering, and scale are some of the tools used to oeuvre. According to her, ‘There is no authentic elaborate and form Sikander’s visual vocabulary self. It is all fluid.’[3] whether in the form of drawings on paper or Imagination and the ability to execute movement and sound in digital formats. Her it in the form of drawing is at the core of her interest lies in the dynamism of form, mobiliz- art practice. Drawing is a thinking tool for ing the static visual and its relationship to space, Imagination as a Political Sikander, a tool which sets her free. The restruc- technique and time. turing of form is not just limited to the narrative Creativity has no national, religious or but expands to her medium as well. Miniature racial boundaries, it is the power of imagina- painting has certain fundamental properties tion that fosters new discourse and creates new which can be perceived as limiting. Yet to resist frontiers. With imagination come humility and and break free from the limitations by incorpo- inventiveness.[5] Stance: Shahzia Sikander rating the same properties and reinterpretating them to aid the conceptual premise has been an inspirational feature in Sikander’s work. Sikander phrases it in the following manner, Haajra Haider Karrar is an independent curator by Hajra Haider Karrar ‘The complexity of beauty is that it can be awe and writer based in Karachi. inspiring, sensorial, sublime but the tension between craft and meaning is almost essential to he sound of birds accompanied by rendition of two imagination.’[4] other sounds of nature in a dark con- verses, create the From compositions on small vaslis, fined space meets the listener/ viewer soundscape of holding narratives that do not end at the edg- before the subsequent vertical image the manuscript. T of a paradisiac garden. As if a thought Signifying shifts in forming shape, it formulates slowly in multiple the narrative it en- SIKANDER, Disruption as Rapture, Still 5, 2016 layers becoming vivid with the passage of time. hances the impact These sounds are juxtaposed with the sound of of the visual. an eastern classical string instrument, building The black up as the image gets more descriptive. An em- swarm is a recur- 1 Shahzia Sikander, artist talk at the Prince- blematic miniature composition, this harmoni- ring feature in ton University https://www.youtube.com/ ous image depicts a garden with a young prince Sikander’s work. watch?v=1TWJQ1OPZZI standing in front of a Saint/King, surrounded Depending on the by two of his devotees and various animals. The movement this 2 Ibid prince has his hands raised in a prayer like pos- swarm can appear ture with a fruit in them, all the while looking as bats or birds but 3 Ibid up at the skies, as if he has been bestowed with is in fact made up a blessing or perhaps a responsibility. As soon of Gopi’s hair. Go- 4 Ibid as the entire image registers it is dismantled by pis are cowherd- rapidly moving and encompassing swarm of ers and Krishna’s black (seemingly bees) which are then disrupted devotees, regularly by the blooming of flora. The figure ascends into featured in tradi- SIKANDER, AgaKhan Disruption as Rapture the skies disappearing behind this black swarm. tional miniature This describes the first couple of scenes paintings, especial- of the ten-minute animation, Disruption as ly those depicting Rapture by Shahzia Sikander, an attempt to Hindu mythology. experience the eighteenth century illustrated It is a trope she manuscript’ Gulshan-e-Ishq in its entirety. Made developed early in Deccan India, this manuscript now sits in the on in her practice collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. and could be seen

Sikander is interested in complicating and reim- in SpiNN (2003), 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES agining existing narratives, by connecting them Parallax (2013) to the present and the future. Her idea is not just and in Gopi’s-Con- to bring this illuminated manuscript to life but tagion (2015) to contextualize the narrative by considering among others, its sociopolitical history and the present-day where she removed relevance. Something which can be experienced the female figure, throughout the animation which is punctuated leaving the hair with various nuances that disrupt a linear read- behind using it in ing. Disruption as a means of exploration is very clusters to symbol- consistent in my experimental strategy.[1] ize it as a notion to Sikander has brilliantly intervened in unhinge so that the the format with a time-based medium using female account of sound as a navigational tool, introducing a narrative is freed new vocabulary in the form of transitions. The to create its own conceptual premise and the formal aspects are history and em- SIKANDER, Disruption as Rapture, Still 13, 2016 intricately interwoven with an exceptional play power its own narrative.[2] entire narrative open to interpretation. Sikan- on technique to extract meaning. Staying true to The fluid quality of the visual rings true der has been invested in dismantling miniature tradition, she maintains the two dimensionality to the medium of gouache/watercolor which is painting for the past three decades. While being of the visual, yet creates perspective through further elaborated by the ephemeral flow of im- focused on investigating tradition and history, movement and visual and sonic layering. The agery. The transitions become the key element her aim has been to create new readings and shifts in the foreground and background, aided creating multiple meanings and posing ques- alternate interpretations exploring the possibil- by the intensity of sound and color breathe a tions of authenticity, authority and temporality. ity and potential of a narrative by stretching or living intensity into the manuscript/ narrative. Just as the viewer feels that she might be able reimagining it. She builds her narratives using The amalgamation of eastern classical, western to grasp the story at the end, the closing verse the trope of storytelling by revisiting histories SIKANDER, Gopi-Contagion,Times Square,2015

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES choir, and battle sounds marked with a solo leaves her with question, once again leaving the 40 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 41 work– they (titles) provide the underlining story perceived ‘ending’, particularly for public display and create the stepping stones from conceptual- only allows enough space to prepare for this izing an idea, to the interpretation of the work. visibility. Profile | March 2018 Recalling the title of her work for the Karachi It’s about time for Mulji to head off to Biennale, ‘Ode to a lamppost that got acciden- Jodia Bazaar and collect research for new stories tally destroyed in the enthusiastic widening of with familiar interests. Although there are many canal bank road’ as an example of a lengthy nar- threads in the artists’ work which work in tan- rative-like title, Mulji elaborates on her enthu- dem to create a visual, her ability to address par- siasm for fiction writing, and the ability words ticular issues with a sense of pervasive curiosity have to move her deeply. Perhaps more than art! is perhaps the main artery bringing together ‘I borrow from fiction writers, form, structure, multiple landscapes, hierarchies and narrations. Huma Mulji and the ability to evoke the essence of an idea, an emotion or a place.’ Recognizing what a fantastic oppor- Veera Rustomji is a visual artist and writer by Veera Rustomji tunity residency programs and grants can be, based in Karachi, Pakistan and graduated from to allow visual artists to create work freely, the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Mulji comments on how critical it is for these 2015. At present, she is a Project Coordinator for to be offered to artists to pursue work without Vasl Artists’ Association. pre-conceived outcomes or obligations. This alking about ‘scale’, Mulji describes freedom allows for speculative thinking, which how much failure artists battle with, may produce something in the future, whereas a to arrive at something akin to the idea they begin with. ‘It always re- mindsT me of a verse by Sophia Naz: “The weight of night and all these crumpled boats of paper that fail to reach the shores of a poem”; If you’re lucky, after weeks or months of struggling, the work suddenly gains resolution, and you look at it with a kind of recognition. It is both famil- Images courtesy Huma Mulji iar and unfamiliar at once, knowing that it is this very thing that you have been struggling to reveal. Then of course, ironically once you have it, you have nowhere to show it, once you’ve shown it, you have nowhere to store it. Over the years I have had to throw away so much work, particularly if it’s large scale, as I don’t have the space to keep it indefinitely. Thankfully, I’m not very prolific! To look at it another way, she says it is sometimes beneficial to clear out her studio and avoid facing all the off-cuts of success or defeat. Painters turn away their canvases; I sell my work to “kabari walay”. Inevitably someone will gasp and say “But why didn’t you sell it!? (i.e. to a collector)” – sculpture just doesn’t have that market.’ While on the topic of “unsellable sculp- towards growth and a non-critical ambition to tures’’ Mulji recalls the highs and lows of cre- expand. There is a buoyancy and willingness at ating pieces such as ‘The Miraculous Lives of all levels of society, despite it all. The relatively This and That’ – a large four sided cabinet with older economies of Europe and the US have multifarious decoration pieces, a taxidermy cow moved their imperial ambitions to other parts busting its’ head through the drawers with plas- of the world, other ‘industries’, and on home tic dolls in glass cases. As some of Mulji’s most ground advocate environmental responsibility. iconic pieces have utilized animal hide and tax- ‘I’m ambivalent about claims of “banning petrol idermy, such as ‘Heavenly Heights’ and ‘Arabian cars by 2040” for example, to make way for elec-

Delight’, it is interesting to compare these pieces tric vehicles, as the currently available batteries 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES to Mulji’s recent work for the Pioneer Residency depend entirely on mining for rare minerals in as well as the smaller works for her exhibition (mostly) the developing economies. This is not ‘The Country of Last Things’, in 2016. There are a critique of environmental stewardship at all, I staggering differences in the scale and materials am merely making a point about economics.’ applied. The contrast between the two geograph- During her time at the Pioneer Cement ical locations she inhabits, also reflect within Plant, Mulji created a series of photographs her. She speaks of code switching when moving which are eerily quiet and critically capture an between the two places; ‘This is particularly true ostensibly utopian environment. The stillness of each time I arrive in Karachi. I am hyper aware the visuals are interestingly contradictory to the on the drive from the airport, that the shift in ceaseless movement of the factory Mulji photo- temperature, language, smell, speed of the car, graphed at Khushab; powdery cement dust in feel of the seat, sweat, conversation in the taxi, the air, machinery and wind creating furrows in all of these promote a radical metamorphosis powdered limestone, and scored markings with and so by the time I ring the doorbell of my slaps of red paint on tree barks. At the heart of mother’s house, I am not the person who left the industry a blazing kiln runs 24/7, processing England the night before. So many artists work and churning the limestone, gypsum, clay and in multiple locations and occupy a non-singu- coal. lar identity today. As someone said very aptly: With an interest in the expanse of rising “today, home is where your digital devices auto- cities and booming economies parallel to the matically connect to the Wi-Fi”.’ demolition of ancient civilizations and the The photographs produced at environment, these images convey elements of Pioneer are given titles such as ‘sabza, ‘mist’, urbanism which city dwellers are familiar with. and ‘abshar’, perhaps a record of this shift from The artist remarks that perhaps because Paki- one identity to another, un-translated. Titles are stan is a young country, there is an optimism generally of particular importance to the artists’ 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 42 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 43

Photo Essay | December 2017 Castle in the Sky

by Razin Rubin Razin Rubin is a fine artist and photographer from the Indus Valley School of art and Architecture. Orignally from Sukkur, she lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan and is an Assistant Coordinator at Vasl Artists’ Association.

I was born and brought up in Sukkur. I came to Karachi, five years ago in 2013 to study Art. During the time I was studying at IVS, I lost my parents and my home in Sukkur. I brought all the furniture and the rest of my parents’ belongings to my new house in Karachi.

My photographs portray the adjustments I made to my lifestyle, conforming and finding my way through the void. Instead of using pencil I drew/ paint my everyday life with light to make it glow. 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 44 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 45

Review | March 2018 Review |December 2017

Reflection-Shifting Notions of Rooms are Never Finished Identity in the Art Space byAmmara Jabbar ily reclines into a state of unanimous congress by Noor Ahmed with the fluid nature of spaces and their per- petual unfinished-ness. Like a choir Darakshan Townships sings with continuous hiccups, it’s he 18 person show, ‘Reflection’, which both influencing and influenced by the other. Artist Waseem Ahmed, photographer fate bound to the shrinking seas. opened recently at Sanat Gallery saw Abbasi’s written piece was a Facebook Messen- Mudassar Dar and writer Sehr Jalil’s interpre- As viewers bound to a state of voyeurism the collaboration of six artists with six ger conversation between himself and Naeem, tation of the brief was particularly interesting. and introspection we search for hidden words photographers and six writers. A show T spanning 16 days, printed in the catalogue to Here, the persona of the artist is irrelevant. He to find recourse in the state of continuity. The conceptualized by artist RM Naeem, the impe- look as it did on the interface. Through the is just a voice, a vehicle through which certain ghosts of lost spaces chasing us as we string to- tus was an itch to rethink old orders of merit in conversation the duo discussed their personal themes, in this case the fears and concerns sur- gether poetic words conjured by the sea. Risking the art practice, presenting photographers and beliefs and often contrary feelings regarding the rounding contemporary war and politics, come romanticism for the sake of withdrawal. Unper- writers with the gravitas usually reserved for art- ideas, identities, facts and artifices that made to light. Jalil’s piece serves as poetry and ab- turbed the absence and presence of Darakshan ists. The artists were tasked with creating three them whole. straction, using the colour green from Ahmed’s Township, even as we walk along the corridors works: a self portrait, a work that was character- While Naeem, Rana and Abbasi focused paintings as a metaphor for envy, patriotism of its shadow on the gallery space. istic of their oevure, and a deviation in style. on the esoteric, artist Muhammad Zeeshan, and all things natural, while Dar’s portrait of a Chaudhri’s concept of space itself is a The idea of identity, in particular por- photographer Amean J and writer Seher silhouetted Ahmed against a white, window-like meticulous exploration; her use of space as a trayed identity, is central to the show. For this Naveed’s collaboration satirically presented rectangle challenge the viewer to look beyond medium is astute, and the congenial use of the purpose the artist was to be the subject of a the artist as some reductive incarnation from obvious facades. word ‘imaginary’ itself plays at a delirious para- photograph taken by a photographer of their pop-culture. Zeeshan’s self titled work ‘Muham- dox. She gathers moments of frigid countenance choosing, and their art was to be the starting mad Zeeshan’ was a 3×27 cm velvet mount with and placid appraisal as we sit like sequins upon point of a written work by a writer of their the words “Muhammad Zeeshan” written across the ghost of Darakshan. Her explorations hung choice. Relatively free of editorial constraint, the it with a golden marker, taking up most of the like a veil of untold tales, receding and emerging writers work is published in an accompanying surface area of the work. In a corner, small and as apparitions of the absent and the present. catalogue that posits engagement with the text Images courtesy AAN Gandhara Art Space seemingly insignificant is a 24karat gold biscuit. She categorically displaces the home and as a rightful expectation of readers. In keeping The artwork questions consumerism and the he rhythms and proportions of the archetype casts a state of uncertainty, it almost repurposes it to craft a sentiment that contours with the ethos of the show, I shall consider the avidity of collectors, for whom renowned artists city are in a perpetual state of motion. resigns as a territorial aspiration, bound to the within the walls and catapults into a state of collective impact of the partnership, artist-pho- are like coveted trophies. The banality of the au- Always unfinished, never stagnant, geometry of the gallery space, yet unhinged by romantic oblivion. It allows one to introspect tographer-writer, as opposed to that of individu- tomated persona is reinforced through Naveed’s Artist Adeel uz Zafar, photographer Jaffer Hasan mobilized by the quest for it’s intend- it’s state of absence. and lament on the changing scape of the city. als. writing that is presented as Zeesha’s Curriculum and writer Zarmeené Shah’s partnership was T ed shape. Ultimate completion is a The city grows, like a perforated mass, It undulates and convulses with passive resig- RM Naeem, photographer Hassan Rana Vitae. Informative, but objective- almost clini- distinguishable and unique because their inves- senile state, an obtuse log hindering spilling into the seas, building vertically, clam- nation, much like the city as she breathes while and writer Numair Abbasi’s works formed a cal. Amean J’s “Sides-M Zeeshan”, uses 4 plains tigation of identity politics focused on the ‘in the fluid state of continuity. Seeking reconcilia- oring horizontally, a moment of sigh reclines she chisels herself into shapes. Chaudhri’s works curious amalgam whose individual parts high- of the very tangible, quintessentially three di- between’, the grey. Largely restricting themselves tion in unfinished forms is almost like standing into a state of whisper. Chaudhri looks into the addresses the perils of unimaginable geogra- mensional object, the cube, to display the front, to this monochromatic colour palette, Zafar, poised on a stagnant tide, awaiting the moment urban renewal of the city and laments the loss of phies and seduces us through her exquisite back, right and left profiles of Zeeshan’s head, Hasan and Shah’s work seems to lift the veil on of the climax. Romanticizing the anticipation of public space. wordsmanship. She digresses upon the chang- putting the artist, quite literally, in a box. It is as the process of photography, art and writing by it. Withdrawing one’s self to the fluid aspirations As we took our imaginary walk along ing underwater ecologies as land is reclaimed, eloquent as it is mordant. considering the nuance required by each art of evolution, and finding recourse in theorizing seaview, we shuffled to glimpse into the word- she captures the perils of the shrinking coast Although similarly alert to offbeat art- form. The layers of meaning in Zafar’s labour it. scapes. A restless solitude nimbly reclining through Darakshan’s residents, offering an alle- world ironies, artist Ali Kazim, photographer intense engraving of a bandaged chimp rever- Yaminay Chaudhri’s recent exhibition at against the placid tales of inanimate objects. gorical rendition of obscured realities beneath

Khalil Shah and writer Julius John Alam’s works berate in Hasan’s photograph of Zafar where Gandhara Art Gallery titled Rooms Are Nev- Voyeuristically scavenging for words held on the shifting sands. She finds poetic retribution 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES result in a dialogue that is more receptive than the artist is featured in the style of his subjects: er Finished tackled the shrinking coastline of tripods. Of salt, and half-bitten almonds, of through her articulation and surmises into a sardonic in attitude. Alam’s interview with bandaged in gauze, confined within the picture Seaview through the lens of the occupants of men in pink trousseau and tides hinged against docile state of disparate undulation. Kazim creates a shared space where the ‘label’ of frame, and achromic. Shah’s writing, also print- Darakshan Township and their stories of ren- the coast, of boiled eggs and opaque hedges. Perhaps through reconciling with in- speaker, creator and artist rally back and forth. ed in shades of grey, feature excerpts from notes, ovation. She tackles the acquisition of public Chaudhri’s words meticulously craft the rest- completion one finds allegorical retribution in The idea of a portrait, staged and curated and essays, conversations and interviews between space through an intimate introspection and less whimsy of the beach. Strung together in a the city as a fluid space. One wonders in earnest completed over time, is seen literally in Shah’s herself and Zafar, amassed over a 3 year period. addresses questions of displaced urban geogra- moment of repose, straddled upon metal struc- of the uncertain geographies of the city...per- statuesque photo of Kazim, but it is also concep- The format of the piece, using italics and bold, phies through poetic ambition. Chaudhri subtly tures, it held the wind and smoke dormant. haps in a finished room lies a salvation that can tually echoed in Kazim’s artworks and Alam’s in- fluctuating between upper and lower cases sug- invokes the resting symmetry and quarreling only be marked by the end of human conquest. terview; the individual’s personal understanding gest heightened and fluctuating states of mind asymmetry given the complicit withdrawal wet Master Molty Foams mattresses, The economy of Seaview and it’s ecosystem is of themselves and the public’s characterization that are open to the reader and evolve with their towards the shifting urban geographies. uncertain, much like the residents of Darakshan of them prove that artists are conglomerates of internalization of the text. The gallery space had been held cap- their red and white squares, rounds and ovals Township, the city strings along as she erases their culture and surroundings. ‘Reflection’ highlights that the conveyers tive to the intimate plan of a Type C Villa from and draws over the existing geographies. Like Artist Mudassar Manzoor’s work speaks of these 3 different art forms are unqualified to Darakshan Township. Rendering space itself as clinging to titled ground confessions of a lover written on sand, faded by Images courtesy Sanat Initiative to infinite universal experiences engulfing and should not be expected to understand art subject, Chaudhri resigned the floor as a docile the unblinking tides. each individual while photographer Qudsia in the language of one particular form. Their camouflage. The gallery floor masquerading as Chaudhri resigns the silhouettes of lighted the varied nature of personal experi- Shahnawaz’s photograph of Manzoor reinforc- strength lies in their ability to interpret art in a domestic space. The columns and walls of the homes into unidentifiable walls. They appear ences. Each work underscored the multiple es this idea by featuring a double image of the a way that the others cannot: as themselves. It gallery displaced against the floor plan. Through like hung shadows awaiting their martyrdom narratives, those that are hidden and those that artist being taken over by something larger than makes the case that art should not be remitted this acquisition Darakshan reclines into a febrile towards misguided urban aspirations. The shift- are public, that come together to create the emo- him. Photography, which can itself be seen as a to a separate realm where it is intellectually re- state, it almost becomes a portable entity carry- ing breath of the city carries with it the tales of tional and idealogical cacophony of an individ- process of doubling is especially good at creat- moved from the concepts, influences and people ing the laments of it’s residents. It plays at a me- it’s residents. As the city evolves, they are forced ual’s personality. Naeem and Rana did this by ing the uncanny. It can be manipulated and in- that collaborated to create it. ticulous dichotomy of acquisition and compla- to evolve as well. Public spaces are reclaimed. Ammara Jabbar is an artist and writer from Ka- representing their subjects (the bust of Buddha, finitely reproduced. Epiphanies triggered by the cence. A home in Darakshan momentarily held Chaudhri’s examination of such changes is inti- rachi, Pakistan. minarets, Naeem himself) as active characters hues and textures in Manzoor’s work are verbal- Noor Ahmed is an independent artist, critic and hostage within a gallery; an almost fluid state mate and profoundly strung with the acquisition within a space, where space itself (the picture ized in writer Sana Kazi’s piece, using critique to curator based in Karachi, Pakistan. After study- marred by it’s docile submission. Almost like an of the gallery space. Oscillating between the frame, the gallery, the viewers) was sentient, create fresh understanding. ing History of Art and Fine Art in New York, she interruption of sorts. The imposition of another metaphysical and the real, one almost voluntar- 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 46 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 47

Review | February 2018 Review | March 2018 Rioting to Life Silent Echoes by Saira Danish Ahmed by Faiza Habib

popular and prevalent backdrop in to her. Traveling to an upscale area of the city me achieve the delicacy of the flower and its re- Karachi the Bougainvillea rampages every single day meant she started seeing less lationship with rigid manmade objects the artist across the metropolis with its vibrant of the stray dogs she had become accustomed confirmed. colors and sprawling vines, serving to following and documenting. The dogs disap- Dying Flowers V & VI were mounted A as a crescendo to barren silence. peared, the roads became smoother and the res- on light-boxes to accentuate the scanned pho- These forceful, wild yet versatile growers scram- idential areas in the new vicinity were no longer tographs of the progressive decay and silent bled over many a wall and other plants, with driven by vertical and shared complexes. wilting of the bougainvillea over time. The light their spiny thorns, to steal the spotlight in the But, this shift in urban landscape was not boxes were the size of the artist’s scanner-bed cool month of January 2017. what caught her fancy. It was the riot of color and the use of subtle light coming from only and the abundance with which the Bougainvil- one source was important to suggest the waning Clambering and clawing lea sprawled all around her that caught her eyes of the flower albeit the colorful petals subtly re- Grasping hooks, crannies and lured her mind. flected through the emitting light. This particu- a crown of thorns She studied and experimented with the lar series seem to reflect on the transformation flowering purple red blood[i] plant for a whole year. The Bougainvillea was of our city into standardized urban habitations documented in detail each day while she was threatening the mortality of mother-nature. on her way to work. The commute became the In a frisky and subjective manner Jovita basis of inquiry and record keeping. She would Alvares’ Wallflower efficaciously created a space then share her findings and experiences with in which echoed great complexity and pene- her mentor, Aziz Sohail. Discussions ensued tration indicating a cross-fertilization of nature between the artist and curator which helped in and structured urban expansion. What began as shaping the artist’s narrative. a single plot by the artist successfully amplified ‘… Resulting work drew from both art into a multi-layered narrative by the time the and architecture featuring juxtaposed frames last lines were read. referencing the city in ceaseless and dynamic transformation. Her critical relationship to her Saira Danish Ahmed is the Associate Editor at source material also draws attention to the ques- ArtNow Pakistan, Karachi. She was a special cor- tion of the artist’s responsibility towards society’. respondent representing ArtNow at the Karachi An aspiring young artist drew on her sensibil- [vi] Biennale 2017. ities to come forward with a subject that long In conjunction with her documenta- desired an ovation. Jovita Alvares’s solo show tion and that of developing a narrative, Alvares Wallflower reconnoiters the powerful presence engaged in extensive experimentation before of the Bougainvillea plant signifying it’s potent achieving her final artworks. She worked with Images courtesy Koel Gallery and commandeering relationship with the con- a variety of conventional and non-conventional or the last seventy years Pakistani result of harmony within. It is the feeling of be- escape into. The distance is crucial to the in- crete structures of urbanization. materials. Experimenting with media and space artists have captured, composed and ing home, rather than building one that Chagani terpretation of these artworks in the form of a The show came as a result of the young she was able to successfully develop a strong un- preserved a wide array of subjects celebrates in his recent work. landscape of events and experiences. artist wining the second cycle of the Imran Mir derstanding on how the medium aids the narra- pertaining to the collective concerns of Despite a strong focus on geometry There are very few instances where art- Art Prize[ii] which counted in a showing at the tive and how space and arrangement determines Four nation, society and culture using their in- particularly rectilinear grids, the works embrace works engage with the gallery space and create 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Imran Mir Studio housed within the late artist’s a successful exhibit. dividual signatures. But every now and then an the unpredictability that comes with the devel- such dynamics. The artist believes it is not only residence. The body of work exhibited had been The choice of medium came in direct artist chooses to put out an absolutely personal opment process. The cast - and - mould static the artwork that does so, it is the dynamics of in process for almost a year. Right after winning response to the way Alvares felt about the sub- Images courtesy Jovita Alvares expression devoid of any concerns regarding artworks come to life with the rust bleeding constructive team work that makes his works the award the remarkable young valedictorian ject. The artist reflected on the fact that the plant the premise of second or third skin to open a from concrete forms creating a life like balance connect so well with the installation space. [i] verse from Marshall Gass’ poem Bougainvillea [iii] also secured the Fourth Sanat[iv] Residen- is used as a wallflower most often despite the new window for us. This approach has caught between geometric and organic. The rusting Appreciating the support from NoorJehan cy. During the residency she had the opportuni- fact that it is flexible enough to be pruned into [ii] true to the legacy of the late artist Imran Mir, The momentum during the last few years in particu- makes these pieces look alive, as if they can Bilgrami and his good friend Adeel-uz-Zafar, he ty of spending quality time with Aziz Sohail[v] a shrub or cultivated and shaped into a bonsai. lar and has reinvented the centuries old dictum breathe the air around them and age. Though acknowledges the role of space and well thought who mentored her as the curatorial advisor for The one hundred and fifty five inch long panel Imran Mir Art Foundation (IMAF) promotes young artists of Pakistan. of art for art’s sake solely anchored in personal the natural processes that instigated the rusting out visualization in adding soul to art work. Wallflower. which shared the name with the title of the show inclinations and interpretations of beauty. have been neutralized, they have left their mark A thing of beauty is joy forever, though Alvares desired to create a show, which ‘ Wallflower’ was printed on a vinyl sticker. The [iii] Jovita Alvares graduated with a BFA from the Noor Ali Chagani’s solo show, Grey by making the pieces look aged and animated. the notion of beauty varies from person to per- would be unique but remain true to her practice artist chose the arrangement, scale and medium Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture (IVS),Kara- Spaces opened at Koel Gallery on 13th Feb 2018 The contrast of present and absent estab- son and so does its embodiment or realization. and process. She started developing new ideas to emphasize the contextual role of the flower chi, in 2017 securing the highest in academic ranking showcasing 52 works of art. His earlier works lished through the bold forms juxtaposed with Noor Ali Chagani’s work may seem to be the through thorough exploration and investiga- which almost seemed to serve as a non-invasive across all disciplines. focused on the primary quest for a shelter evolv- metallic lines and corroding surfaces allow these result of labour intensive process rather than tion. ‘Though, it may not look like it, this show is and un-intrusive element; always there, always ing into statements about society and culture. sublime reverberations of Chagani’s work to brimming with philosophy, it is the orchestra- in fact a continuation of my previous work’, the present in the Karachi landscape but usually [iv] Sanat Residency invites artists to develop pro- The miniature baked-clay bricks woven into extend into the gallery space. Chagani’s prow- tion of self and space that makes it beautiful. jects that respond to new contexts and experiences to artist shared. overlooked. By digitally stitching together stills walls, roofs, forms and spaces allowed the artist ess as an artist is evident through the diversity The beauty of a synchronized cognitive process broaden their horizons, or to conduct research. The artist always had a fascination for from a video and creating one long image, it felt to create modular entities commenting on the of expression enhanced by the uniformity of of art making where the artist becomes a chan- strays and followed them around documenting right for the artist to print the imagery on the logistics of reality. However, the focus has now the medium and scale. Shown together there is nel between the thought and art only to resur- them through her camera; a practice capping unobtrusive sticker vinyl and display it as wall- [v] independent curator and writer who has success- fully curated shows within and outside of Pakistan. shifted on to the process of building these forms movement between the delicate and the solid, face once the thought has been realized. into her final year thesis. After graduation and paper. and preserving their evolutionary stages rather the transient and the tactile. Photo courtesy, Waleed Jabbar Gul upon taking up a job she was joggled out of The series titled Dream Flower I – IV, [vi] excerpt from the curatorial statement than their purpose. This body of work is a man- The reliefs made of miniature baked the comfort of her everyday environment. This was painted in oil on wasli[vii] whereas the ifestation of what he cherishes in his everyday clay bricks and concrete slabs installed on the Faiza Habib is a designer, educator and a fiber meant she wasn’t spending many hours in her series Barbed Wire, ranging from I till VI were [vii] a type of handmade paper, of varying thickness, life - the beauty of a joyful experience, a peace- walls appear to be receding into the distance as artist with an undergraduate degree from Indus residential area. The artist started spending images painted in oil or printed on canvases. used specifically for painting miniatures. ful moment, or a surprise of faith. It is about the compared to the sculptures on the floor creating Valley School of Art & Architecture in Textile more time on the road traveling back and forth The artist finds comfort while working with poetic rhythm of processes that one enjoys as a a matrix of memories laid out for the viewer to Design from Karachi.

2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES from work. This commute and route was new paint based mediums; a medium which helped 48 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 49

Review |March 2018 The Urbane by Ayesha Naveed

pened on 23rd February, ‘The focus on the exterior of homes but more spe- Urbane’ was showcased at the Art cifically on doors. Gull highlights the struggle Kaam Gallery in collaboration she faced in dealing with her confused emotions with ArtNow Pakistan. The 17 when she moved to Karachi. On the contrary, O participating artists were fresh Kainat Amanullah makes large paintings that graduates from Indus Valley School of Art and are narrative and whimsical. Architecture, Karachi University and Karachi Mishal Khan’s monochromatic paint- School of Arts. For most of them this was their first exhibition after graduation. The exciting new gallery space endorsed this young group of Noor Butt’s passport sized photographs diverse artists to express their concerns using a highlight the current fixation of perfect pho- wide range of media. tographs of oneself. The photographs in covers Painting was a dominant medium in this challenge the idea of a perfect image by digitally show. Artist Hadiqa Arshad captures traces of distorting features of herself in each of the mug childhood memories in her paintings. Her work shots. The sculptural work of Maha Minhaj deals with the sentiments and distress correlat- adopted a monochromatic theme. The paper ed with that part of her life. Similarly, Khadija moulded to make life sized objects such as the Amin’s small canvases were a documentation bath tub challenge the strength of the material. of a single chair. The emptiness in the paintings The ghostly feeling associated with the work and the lack of activity corresponds to Amin’s invoked a sense of existence and the absence. feelings of despondency that resulted from the Rabia Khan’s intricate foam structures represent loss of her grandmother. the rapidly growing construction and demolish- Ameerah Shoaib paints the dinning ings talk about the idea of memory. The high ment happening in the city and the relationship room; understanding how this space plays an contrast paintings have an eerie and haunting the inhabitants form with this phenomenon. imperative role in bringing together people irre- mood to them. This contrasts to the work of spective of their differences. Syed Shuja Ahmed who uses grids and patterns Sanya Hussain also works with interiors. and a vibrant colour palatte to create visuals that Her layered paintings are an attempt to visual- replicate traditional patterns found in rugs and ize her mother’s house, a place where she has carpets. never been but has always heard stories about. Rahima Junaids monoprints deal with the idea of a loss of memory. The monoprints and their titles such as, “Now I see You Now I Don’t” and “Losing You Losing Me” show the struggle in remembering everyday objects and how memory sometimes fails to acknowledge

their presence or placement. The installation created by Muhammah 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES Another artist who works with mono- Runija used a profoundly made mechanism chromatic colours was Zainab Abdul Hussain. involving gravitational backings and liquid Hussain’s graphite drawings with objects the dispensing objects that allowed organic free were partially converged with cloth talk about flowing paintings to be formed. The process was The layered construction of her paintings aptly the Bohri culture and the idea of gender, identi- an exciting one to watch. Amna Khan’s videos represent her reliance on her memory to visual- ty and cast. Dania Shah also works with graphite are a take on the role of women in our society. ize a space she only knows through stories. Sara on paper. Shah focuses on the journey of objects Women play a number of different roles some of Yawar is intrigued by homes of strangers and after they have been discarded. Her drawings which are hidden. Khan tries to cope with such the possible activities that happen inside. Her are just a snapshot of a still from the journey hidden roles as part of her work. paintings raise the question of privacy and the that objects go through until they decay. The The exhibition was filled with fresh new invasion of personal space on an everyday basis. visual vocabulary of her work also touches the ideas that have the potential to go a long way. The paintings made by Gina Gull also idea of pollution and waste. focus on the exterior of homes but more specif- Noor Butt’s passport sized photographs ically on doors. Gull highlights the struggle she highlight the current fixation of perfect pho- faced in dealing with her confused emotions tographs of oneself. The photographs in covers when she moved to Karachi. On the contrary, challenge the idea of a perfect image by digitally Kainat Amanullah makes large paintings that distorting features of herself in each of the mug are narrative and whimsical. shot images. The sculptural work of Maha Min- Mishal Khans monochromatic paintings haj adopted a monochromatic theme. The paper talk about the idea of memory. The high con- moulded to make life sized objects such as the trast paintings have an eerie and haunting feel to bath tub challenge the strength of the material. them. This contrasts to the work of Syed Shuja The ghostly feeling associated with the work Ayesha Naveed is a visual artist and writer from invoked a sense of existence and the absence. Karachi, Pakistan. She graduated from the Indus Rabia Khan’s intricate foam structures represent Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2016. the rapidly growing construction and demolish- Images courtesy Art Kaam Gallery 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES 50 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 51

Review |March 2018 An Antidote to Chaos by Maheen Aziz

a bird’s eye view using oil as a medium. Those human foems in her work; to depict the peace portraits were not painted as sensual subjects, and harmony contrary to the current disturb- as she firmly believes that women should not ing socio-political situation in the country. Her be objectified as sexual commodities hence her work is refreshing and peaceful not only for her physical features should not be exaggerated to but for her audience as well. symbolize sexual beauty. Mohammad Junaid, one of the Direc- After the 90’s she changed her medi- tors of Art Citi gallery, commenting on the art um from oils to tempera and later to gouache. work said: “Rukhe Neelofar is a veteran and her With keen appreciation of the beautiful culture artworks are mature. We have brought her work and tradition of the country she captures the in the gallery just to change the trend of art/ glimpse of the rich culture and tradition of the narratives being displayed today in the galleries. country in her own style. There is a vibe of freshness that gives one an “I want to portray my background and escape from the mundane.” cultural traditions in my work. I was never Her work was expressive and fascinating influenced by the western style of painting and I with complex details which was astounding for believe in highlighting my culture that is why in the audience and challenging for Neelofar-the every work of mine you would see a glimpse of challange to balance the beauty of raw foliage “I am a happy person and I be- it. My subjects are traditional but treatment is and intricacy of details together in her work. lieve nature symbolizes hope contemporary”. Neelofar explicated. The shift from figures to that of flora and freedom. Whenever I paint, and fauna could never have happened if she had I feel free, peaceful, and happi- not experienced seeing Monet’s art works. She believes that modern art is becoming depressing er. Painting is meditation for with complete concentration on social issues me, when I paint I follow my thereby spreading negative vibes among the viewers and the art fraternity at large. unconscious mind, I don’t pre- Explaining her experience of how Mon- pare myself or make drafts for et’s art influenced her, she said: “When I went inside the museum anything I paint, I just pick up Orangerie which is near Louvre, Paris, there my brushes and directly paint.” was Monet’s work on display and the moment I started observing his work it was like magic – Rukhe Neelofur happening to me. It changed my thoughts and left such a positive impact on me. I felt peace and happiness that took me into a pool of deep Today art forms have broadened and thoughts and made me realize the purpose of techniques have escalated. There are a few my existence.” 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES artists who focus on enhancing the beauty of Growing nature in their art. Pakistan is among those and nurturing countries that have a history of veteran artists plants and cre- who have worked with many mediums and ating a balco- brought a variety of subjects to life and into the ny-garden her spotlight. love for nature Keeping in mind that art today is not blossomed man- just a language but a complete encyclopedia ifold. Her visit whereby every artist has a different level of ap- to the museum proach towards a specific subject and medium. and her closer When one talks about art in Karachi relation with then one must know that the city is one of the nature influenc- main hubs of art galleries where artists from all es her to draw over the world come to exhibit their work. Art inspiration Citi is among those galleries which have a clear from the plants ideology focusing on promoting the local art she nurtures to not only at the national level but also globally create jungle thereby making it a powerhouse. scenes. In February Art Citi exhibited the ab- “When I Maheen Aziz is an Assistant Editor and Writer sorbing art pieces of Lahore-based artist Rukhe was studying art I never had an idea of painting at Artnow Pakistan and Manager at Al-Nissa Download any QR code-app on your Neelofar who is known amid the art circles for jungle scenes and plants. I was good at portraits Communications. She holds a Master’s degree in Android or iOS and scan this code for her in-depth understanding of colors and expe- and figures but never explored the side of mine immediate access to our website from Political Science from the University of Karachi. rience of different mediums. which could paint flora and fauna.” YOUR PHONE. Neelofar began her career by painting Neelofar displayed 16 paintings in total using acrylic as a medium, which she believed portraits, mostly of women, and figures from Images courtesy Art Citi Gallery 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES suits her best. She added animals, birds and 52 THE ARTNOW NEWSPAPER | www.artnowpakistan.com | MARCH 2018 2018 ARTNOW PAKISTAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLICATION DESIGN COURTESY JOVITA ALVARES