Engaging artworks: Is there more to the picture?
Frames of Ayaz Jokhio's images play with the viewers' minds
Artist Ayaz Jokhio’s works on display at the Canvas gallery are neither symmetrically halves, nor diagonally, but along dimensions that have no one, similar pattern. PHOTOS: COURTESY CANVAS GALLERY
KARACHI:
Cropped or not cropped? Is it complete or is there more to the picture? No, it seems complete. Oh wait, it's the frame that is playing the magic.
That's the trail of thought in one's mind as one takes a look at artist Ayaz Jokhio's work at Canvas gallery. Added to this, the disclaimer by the artist, "I think these are complete pictures - but we see them half, cropped and cut. This is either because of the frame of these paintings or because of the frame of our mind," does not help one either.
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Jokhio's images, to put it straight, are cut-offs. They are neither symmetrically halves, nor diagonally, but along dimensions that have no one, similar pattern. A picture of a soldier shows his uniform and innumerable badges, yet there is no identity per se.
Similarly, one can make out a silhouette of a particular 'madam' adorning a dupatta on her head with a distinctive grace that is attributed to the women of the East. "The concept is to think beyond the frame and bring out your imagination," explained Jokhio.
Cropped or not cropped remained the mantra on the majority of the visitors' lips as they tried to get a hold of the artist to understand what he has actually done. "It is a pretty old technique," he said, dismissing that it had to do something with his own creativity. "It has been tried out a number of times before."
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Then there were those images that were not cropped - they were complete in themselves yet playing the idea in one's head about the presence of more.
A sunset scene at the beach, a canvas titled 'Quaid-e-Azam ka kutta' with a black dog, and a train with a mountainous terrain in the background - on the surface, you're seeing what you are supposed to see but then there is always the possibility of 'more' beyond the confines of the frame.
Talking about this thought, Jokhio said that every image is cropped by default. Even when you're focusing on detail, you're leaving something out of the picture in the background, he added.
The show runs till February 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2016.
Cropped or not cropped? Is it complete or is there more to the picture? No, it seems complete. Oh wait, it's the frame that is playing the magic.
That's the trail of thought in one's mind as one takes a look at artist Ayaz Jokhio's work at Canvas gallery. Added to this, the disclaimer by the artist, "I think these are complete pictures - but we see them half, cropped and cut. This is either because of the frame of these paintings or because of the frame of our mind," does not help one either.
Against all odds: Artwork reflects on resilience of nation
Jokhio's images, to put it straight, are cut-offs. They are neither symmetrically halves, nor diagonally, but along dimensions that have no one, similar pattern. A picture of a soldier shows his uniform and innumerable badges, yet there is no identity per se.
Similarly, one can make out a silhouette of a particular 'madam' adorning a dupatta on her head with a distinctive grace that is attributed to the women of the East. "The concept is to think beyond the frame and bring out your imagination," explained Jokhio.
Cropped or not cropped remained the mantra on the majority of the visitors' lips as they tried to get a hold of the artist to understand what he has actually done. "It is a pretty old technique," he said, dismissing that it had to do something with his own creativity. "It has been tried out a number of times before."
Exhibiting talent: Paintings of HU students put on display
Then there were those images that were not cropped - they were complete in themselves yet playing the idea in one's head about the presence of more.
A sunset scene at the beach, a canvas titled 'Quaid-e-Azam ka kutta' with a black dog, and a train with a mountainous terrain in the background - on the surface, you're seeing what you are supposed to see but then there is always the possibility of 'more' beyond the confines of the frame.
Talking about this thought, Jokhio said that every image is cropped by default. Even when you're focusing on detail, you're leaving something out of the picture in the background, he added.
The show runs till February 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2016.