The eye still seeks: Salima Hashmi reflects on contemporary art

Veteran artist, historian presents her latest works on modern Pakistani art

ISLAMABAD: Veteran artist and contemporary art historian Salima Hashmi presented here latest work and collection on contemporary art at the Asian Study Group recently.

Called “The Eye Still Seeks”, Hashmi said that her art told voiceless stories through miniature art brimming with misery and agony.

“I am going to be quite unashamed in my approach towards Pakistani contemporary art. I am primarily looking towards the political and social concerns that have engaged Pakistani artists to produce strong and fertile work commenting on the happenings in their environment,” she said.

Hashmi, who is also the member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said that there were stark and powerful reminders her paintings which reminded her of the time when contemporary art in Pakistan was on decline, particularly during the General Ziaul Haq era.

Presenting her work, Hashmi referred to the case of a woman called Zainab, who had been subjected to domestic violence by her husband, a cleric. Hasmhi said Zainab had been violated with electric heating rods inflicting severe internal injuries during the Benazir Bhutto tenure.  Even though a woman was the prime minister of the country, Hashmi revealed that neither the government nor any of the political parties of the time raised their voices about it. In this regard, Hashmi said that the purpose of her work – a series of poems -- was to explore and probe the mind of the man who had committed such heinous crimes on Zainab.

Earlier, Australian Ambassador to Pakistan Brigitta Blaha while introducing Hashmi said that “The Eye Still Seeks” contains in-depth information on Pakistani contemporary art.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2016.