Commonplace: Enter the world of (dys)functional objects

Artists use water taps, porcelain tea sets, lotas, brass and copper chairs and painted bricks

KARACHI: Koel Gallery’s latest exhibition, titled ‘dys|functional objects’ brings commodities of everyday use to the forefront and transforms them into works of art through the use of different mediums.



Using water taps, porcelain tea sets, lotas, brass and copper chairs and painted bricks, artists Arshad Faruqui and Sadia Salim bring out how the ordinariness of everyday objects makes people oblivious to their potential. “In the body of work presented, functional objects become a means to engage with the existing, the everyday and the real,” reads the press statement of the event.



A work that immediately catches the attention of the viewers is used and dirty white porcelain tea sets are displayed on a table. The teapot and cups perhaps point towards the high cost of commercialisation.



Salim, who is a visual artist and an educator, depicts politics of the ordinary and elevated positions. Talking about her work, she said “it is about contextualising the very thought of hierarchy. There are certain hierarchies in arts and crafts, too.”

However, she does not want to limit the viewer’s perception. “I want people to view them [her artwork] and discover new meanings out of them.”



On the other hand, Faruqui uses the material objects to make a political statement regarding the state and society. He is an architect and landscape designer. “It focuses on how the functional and available objects turn into dysfunctional and symbolic pieces with political connotation,” he said while speaking on his works. “Old craftsmen are required to make a statement.”

Talking about the exhibition, gallery owner Noorjehan Bilgrami remarked, “This is an exciting show that these artists have put forward. It is also very challenging how they have perceived it — Salim’s work delves into a meditative thought process while Faruqui makes a political statement.”

The show will continue till November 4.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2016.