Art and literature - two sides of the same coin

Speakers at Karachi Biennale's roundtable discussion talk about impact of literature on their lives

KARACHI: Art and literature have had a strong association over the years. This was the gist of the third roundtable discussion of the Karachi Biennale on 'Resisting Erasures: Art and Literature as Witness to a New Century' that was held on Saturday at the Alliance Francaise.

During the session, graffiti artist Sanki King spoke about how literature impacted his life. "After being orphaned at a very young age, I took refuge in books and found that self-expression can be done without having to do things aesthetically," he said. "When we consider our parents as immortal beings, with their death we find that the opposite is true and we are hit hard and are looking for spiritual and emotional connections."

Finding inspiration in the works of Ashfaque Ahmed, Albert Camus, Nicolo Machiavillei, Jaun Elia and Ahmed Faraz, the artist said these people inspired him towards creativity.



Artist Sabah Husain spoke via Skype and said, "I found inspiration in musical notes for my artistic pieces." Later it was revealed that Persian and Urdu poetry also influenced her work.

For a translator like Kashif Raza, who read some pieces of his work in Urdu, "Hindrances occur in one's life but love surely conquers all."

Short-story writer Saira Ghulam Nabi said she befriended books during her childhood.

Poet Shakil Jafri said for him, the turning point in writing came in the form of hearing Sahir Ludhianvi's poem, Taj Mahal.



"None of the cities of the world have ever lost hope, but it certainly leaves a deep impact on your soul - the pain and anguish of trouble," said Afzal Saeed, a writer and poet.

"There is disconnect in our society where individuals are more or less islands unto themselves and relationships are all falling apart. This is a composite world of two things - individualism and cash flow," lamented critic Rahat Saeed.

Later, writer Asad Mohammad Khan narrated tales of his life when he lived in Bhopal before he migrated to Karachi in 1950.