Strokes for grandeur: Sociopolitical issues painted on the canvas

Saira Wasim’s solo exhibition concludes at Unicorn Art Gallery

LAHORE: The sociopolitical issues of the country have been painted with the use of Victorian-era symbols and figures, albeit in an ornate style, in the work of Saira Wasim.

The solo exhibition of her seven painting concluded on Tuesday at Unicorn Art Gallery, where the artist highlighted the issues that have impacted the social fabric of Pakistan.

In one of her paintings titled ‘Pieta’, Saira has painted women in bright but pale draperies, frills and net. While talking to The Express Tribune, she said the painting depicts the history and misuse of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. She added one of the women in the painting is a Christian mother on death row over accusations in a blasphemy case.

“A number of non-Muslims (especially Christians) in Pakistan have been implicated in false cases,” Saira said. “It has become a taboo and a great risk for anybody who dares to touch this subject.”

Besides, her most recent work titled ‘Flirting with Faith-I’ is a satire on a cleric of the country, Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa. “Aziz is quite famous and admired by right-wing supporters because of his use of religion for political motives,” she said. “The painting depicts his desire for power and control.”

The artist’s painting titled ‘Flirting with Faith-II’ features another influential religious and political figure of the country, Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Saira says this painting has been inspired by Rehman’s “megalomaniac urge to have his name written down in history books as someone greater than a cleric or a politician”.

Moreover, her painting ‘Identity?’ intends to highlight the issues Muslims face in the United States. “Through this painting I wanted to address the issues like wearing turban and having beard in the US; about the American Muslims facing identity crises in current times.”

Saira said she used Victorian era symbols to depict problems prevalent in Pakistan, because the world has become a global village. “We all are connected to each other through various means,” she added. “Social media and widespread emigration to western countries has become a new phenomenon and as a result very diverse and hybrid kind of art has developed,” she said, adding that artists do not only sing songs of our native land, but also speak of new homelands and foreign cultures.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2016.