ISLAMABAD:
Artist Masood A Khan made Pakistan proud when he managed to secure first prize at Chianciano 2011, an international art festival in Italy that promotes cultural exchange and dialogue.
In the last 30 years, Khan has put up 16 solo shows in the country, apart from a few in Dubai, Singapore and Sharjah. Born in South India, he grew up in Kustia, a small town in East Pakistan. The son of a Pakistani soldier, he, like his father, was held as a prisoner of war after the fall of Dhaka (Bangladeshi independence) in 1971.
The impression the experience made on the then 12-year-old’s mind had a strong influence on his work which revolves around society and political disparity.
His work primarily deals with watercolors, a choice the artist explains as a serious belief in transparency in all matters, including society and people and a world where everything is apparent. This transparency is portrayed through pieces that are literally transparent and translucent: landscapes, shanty dwellings, and even a room are represented transparently.
His painted habitats concentrate primarily in the lower-middle class and depict a certain openness; people lounging outside or going about everyday work with little regard to the shabby environment around them. Khan lashes out against the hypocrisy he feels rules our lives, be it societal, economic or religious, embodied by veiled intentions. “I stick to making simple paintings. The best way to portray issues is to paint everything as transparent.”
The Chianciano Award is an international exhibition based upon the subconscious and mysterious nature of art. Artists are selected from over 160 countries in a celebration of the underlying message that lies behind some of history’s greatest artistic minds.
The Chianciano Museum of Art hosts a series of collections ranging from Neolithic, Asiatic and contemporary art and showcases over a thousand pieces from some of art’s biggest names. Tom Nash, Francis Turner, Mario Schifano, Damien Hurst, Brian Willsher and Albert Louden, drawings by Magritte, Guttuso and Munch including historical works from royal collections and original etchings by Durer and Rembrandt are some of the works on display.
Three paintings from the “Transparency” series were featured at Chianciano. The criteria for competition are to bring forward a new concept, which he does through creating “new possibilities in realism.” The key to Khan’s success was his ability to make a strong message relatable using relatively simple presentation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2011.
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