Bringing forth realities with Chamak Patti

Artwork offers unique view of subjects related to violence, history and heritage.

LAHORE: A solo exhibition titled ‘Weapon/Pen’ featuring the works of a Baloch artist is currently on display at the MainFrame Art Gallery.

Qutub Rind’s work with Chamak Patti (reflective tape) on wasli (a type of handmade paper used specifically for painting miniatures) is an exploration and presentation of elements, colours and people that made up his past and some parts of his identity.

To implement his concepts, the artist’s use of chamakpatti, cut in small, circular shapes, and pasted in the typical Baloch traditional embroidery patterns is an attempt to bring forth intense and violent realities back home in a localised and rather playful context. His technique is also similar to pointillism where tiny dots are applied in patterns to form an image.



Talking about his inspiration, the artist says that considering himself as an object that went through constant journeys of time and place owing to his travels between Lahore and Jacobabad, he began seeing objects in altered context.

“My image-making practise deals with the idea of altering the context of violent tools with aesthetically beautiful and harmless object such as beads (moti) or reflective tape,” he says.

Most of his colour pallet is inspired by Mughal miniature while the patterns are picked up from Sindhi and Baloch culture.

Qutub says that using embroidery references in his work is also of metaphorical importance since he intends to depict the experiences of Baloch women.

The artist sees the beautiful and vivid embroidery patterns stitched by women on clothes and pillows as a conversation of their dreadful and frustrating experiences.



Some of the pieces on display depict Baloch men and children either holding guns or playing with them. Overall, his work offers a unique view of his subject related to violence, history and heritage.

Qutub was born in 1984 in Jacobabad, Sindh. He did his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in miniature painting from the National College of Arts of Lahore in 2014 and achieved distinction in major studio art.

He is also a graduate of civil engineering from the Government Polytechnic Institute, Jacobabad with local and international group shows to his credit. The artist currently lives and works in Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2017.