ArtOne 62 breaks new ground in Karachi

In a city where art galleries are numbered, an addition is more than welcome

KARACHI: Art Kaam Gallery has been doing various collaborations among which ‘Art Therapy Initiative’ by Indus Hospital since June 2019 and an art auction at the Developments in Literacy fundraiser in 2018 were the biggest projects so far.

Hoping to bridge the gap not only between artists but also countries, Art Kaam has recently joined hands with an Australian art gallery Art One 62 to open a new space called ArtOne 62 in Karachi.

The gallery opened with an exciting exhibition titled ‘Impact II,’ curated by Shehzar Abro and Andres Delgado, on October 29, 2019. The show was a sequel of ‘Impact I,’ held three years ago at Movenpick Hotel where around 17 emerging artists showcased their work.

‘Impact II’ was held based on a bigger idea: to promote cultural exchange between Pakistan and the rest of the world and help people understand art and its role in interpreting culture. “I want to invest in the arts as much as I can. Opening a new space was an extension to the idea of promoting arts and culture and bringing in works from different countries to be understood and analysed,” Junaid Hamid, Director ArtOne 62, told The Express Tribune.



The show displayed an array of pieces by a range of artists from different countries, including Australia, Colombia, USA, Pakistan and Canada. The artists had experimented with different mediums to portray their ideas, including new and traditional media and some installations as well. The participants included Ammad Tahir, Andres Delgado, David J Smith, Gustavi Roa, Rod Sainty, Sabeena Syed, Sana Jafri, Sara Pagganwala, Sheece Khan, Shehzar Abro and Soul Spill Records.

A multidisciplinary artist, Pagganwala’s work was an highly experimental installation. Tahir, a Pakistani visual artist, displayed something from his building series. With the use of whites, browns and blues, he had depicted concrete structures at nighttime. His focus on the structural elements and the dark background further helped bring out the chalky look common to local buildings. Another similar artist Sainty had worked with ancient Islamic architecture of Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Iran and focused mainly on pre-eminent sites such as the Himalayas and Karakoram mountain ranges.



There was an array of figurative artwork too. Smith, an American abstract expressionist painter, displayed three pieces wherein he had explored the human figure. His works consisted of line drawings that studied both male and female bodies in different postures. Stylised and simplistic in nature, the artist achieved a new visual outlook on bodies in relation to each other. Abro, who was also the curator of this exhibition and usually does large scale paintings and murals, displayed figurative paintings of females with rich colourful backgrounds.

“I see myself inspired by things that may seem un-impactful to the naked eye, like the texture of a rock, a conversation with a stranger or a nice (or crappy) meal. It’s all an experience that makes me a little different from yesterday,” Abro said. “This exhibition is an experience created by participating visual artists shaping the mind, distorting perceptions and subconsciously impacting us.”



Syed and Jafri displayed works made in wet mediums. The latter personally believes art should consist of an avid mixture of media and indulges in performance art, installations and videography other than visual art. Khan, currently a student at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and a young aspiring artist, made an unrealistic painting using mostly primary colours. His work stood out in the gallery for its meticulousness and the digital conception that stood somewhere between the real and the imaginary.

Roa, a contemporary photographer from Spain, put up works that depicted death, separation, desolation and religion, amongst other things. He had photographed dead bodies, birds, graves, roses and empty spaces to depict such concepts.

‘Impact II’ was the beginning of many more such events to be held in the future at ArtOne 62. In a city like Karachi, where one could count the number of art spaces on their fingers, an addition means a whole lot more than it might actually seem as it shows a desire for inculcating knowledge and expression.