Screen-printed textile: A different way of paying homage to the great short story writer Manto

Five design based on the writer’s work and life go on display.

ISLAMABAD: Homage to great writers is paid in various ways: book dedications, monuments, portraits, even streets have been christened after them. However, an artist has introduced a new, creative way to cherish his memory through wearable design or home ware.

Nageen Hyat launched an exhibition of exclusively screen-printed textile in Saadat Hassan Manto’s honour during his centennial year on Saturday.

“I used the finest cotton available in the country for screen printing, totalling about a 1,000 metres of loose fabric. The five designs are co-ordinated and are artistic representations of Manto’s unique perspective, which was so futuristic that [our] society couldn’t accept it,” said Hyat.

The collection “Naamaber” (messenger), allowed Hyat to convey the iconic stature of Manto in a relatable, unique and contemporary way. The modern technique of screen printing positioned against Manto’s writing philosophy and work, compliment each other, as Hyat notes that his ideas were always modern and still are today.

One of the most striking design in the collection depicts Manto’s face in pop art, which is reminiscent of some of the adaptations of the father of pop art, Andy Warhol’s designs. With Manto’s poetry in English, written in an interesting hue of orange-red that makes the print pop, the piece is truly a treat for the Manto fan and would make a chic kurta or shirt.

Other pieces include traditional motifs, trees, stylised Urdu, and a multi-coloured dancing girl against a white backdrop that has an ethereal sheen of its own, adding to the design’s sophistication. “Manto was a voice of the sub-continent, the dancing girl and tree are symbols of our culture and I felt they were significant in his works as well,” commented Hyat.

A mixed audience of diplomats, academics, students and regulars thronged the Nomad Art Gallery. “It is refreshing to see art that you can actually transform the way you like; what’s even better is that it pays due homage to Manto,” commented Zaina Habib, a social sciences student.

A dress piece of two and a half metres will cost you Rs1,500, good value given the quality of the fabric. The exhibition will continue till September 18.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2012.