‘Shades of my palette': Snapshots capture diversity of life in Pakistan

Young photographer shares his experience through his photo exhibits

ISLAMABAD: Sometimes experimentation is important to explore difficult themes which, at the outset, may seem distant, but on closer inspection tell a tale that is more intertwined than one may assume.

This is what an exhibition of photographs by budding travel photographer Bilal Ahmed is about in a show titled “Shades of my palette.” The photographs are currently on display at Shanaakht, a space for emerging artists within Nomad Art Gallery.

Ahmed has strolled through the streets of Karachi to the huts of nomads in Tharparkar, captured the sunrise at the chilly Eagle’s Nest in Hunza to happenings at Hindu temples in Nagarparkar, near the border with India over the past two years.

Instead of limiting his work to a particular format, Ahmed has experimented with portraits, landscapes and architecture, mixing it with street photography. His work is an exploration of the country, spanning distinct themes and subjects and areas, making for a diverse portfolio.

Describing his creative process, Ahmed explained that he takes multiple shots of his subjects — particularly children — to warm them up to the camera. He narrated how, with a little humor and a lot of skill, he was able to get two camera-shy children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to smile for him all the while exuding slight nervousness.

Then, there was his interaction with rural women in barren Tharparkar, where infrastructure is barebones and even the mud houses are crumbling. Yet, in the middle of such desolation, his pictures showed them in their bright clothing amid a rustic life, bringing to the fore a forgotten civilisation.

Glimpses from Interior Sindh to South Punjab offer a varying landscape. Here Ahmed showcases his more street photography skills capturing locals as they go about their mundane routines.

In the old cities of Lahore and Rawalpindi, he showcases his eye for architecture, photographing monuments in walled cities and bringing them to life with a splendour that narrates historical stories from eras gone by.

When asked about his motivation to work on different themes, Ahmed said, “It started out with celebrating the cultural diversity to focusing on the cultural and interfaith harmony, that bind the seemingly different people together.”

Nageen Hayat, the gallery’s curator said, “Our cultural spaces have become tighter and tighter and we feel threatened with the political unrest happening in the city.” About Ahmed’s work, she said that he has managed to capture an interesting and diverse cross-section of the country.

The current exhibition will continue at the gallery till November 3.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2016.