Domestic disorders: From shared studio to group show: ‘Unbruised’ opens

“I read a lot of adventure books with my daughter everyday so the idea of discovering something for her is prevalent in my mind and I live with her fascination with discovery,” said Zulfiqar.

“My work celebrates the idea of uncovering the unknown. All these daily discoveries become a part of you,” she added.

“Children’s illustrations are a reference point for my colour pallete. However, my palette was always like this, it has just become more pronounced.”

Zulfiqar brushed aside the suggestion that her works contained a message to her child. “These are narratives with stories that I don’t need to say out aloud. I think of them as happy images.”

She pointed at ‘I Spy. . . 02’ which has the face of a child with crows in the background and said, “The crows are associated with the domestic and also have negative connotations to them. So there is a line between comfort and discomfort. The enlarged eye represents an inquisitive look.”

She said the eyes are not supposed to be deformed only that “you are seeing more than you are meant to.” Her work is priced at Rs29,000.

“I am fascinated with characters. I have no preconceived notions when I start working and always surprise myself,” said Maria Khan. She said she was particularly interested in older characters. “I keep getting told that these women are grotesque because they are laughing. These women are laughing because they are content with themselves. They are ignoring how the world looks at them.”

She said was interested in interacting with materials to create the characters in her series ‘Women who laugh and do not talk’. “I wanted a certain flatness to my work.”

Maria used black sheets, stickers, gold leaf, lace and gold dust in the works and cut the sheets with blades. “The elements I used in my work are considered beautiful. I wanted them to depict a contrast.” Maria said that none of her pieces was over Rs50,000

Amra Khan recently had a show at Canvas Gallery in Karachi where she said the response was excellent. “People came, they spent their time, they spoke with me. They asked questions. The Lahori audience can dismiss you very quickly. I was also very impressed by the professionalism of the gallery in Karachi,” she said.

“I did not want to make things ugly this time around,” Amra said. “I always work with the grotesque. All the characters in my pieces have been through something and have risen beyond it. There is a certain level of contentment within them.”

“My piece ‘Moo’s Blues’ is supposed to be very plastic. ‘Molly’s Chamber’ is about a plastic person, someone who is it too painted up, too chiselled. All my works are very textural. My acrylic pieces are raw or plastic. The image in each work is staged. The frames are supposed to look expensive but they are fragile and made of plaster and would shatter if dropped,” she said. “All the characters are pretending to be someone else,” Amra added.


Pointing to her work, ‘I gave you all,’ which depicts a bald, naked person, Amra said, “You can’t really tell the gender of the person. The only clue would be the make up and high heels. The person is meant to be androgynous.”

“It is hard for an artist to work in Lahore.  There is no funding. Finding a good studio comes down to luck. Not many people were willing to rent out spaces to women, even artists. They would say they did not know what kind of people we were and what we would do,” Amra said. She said that her landlord sometimes came and sat while they were working.

“We wouldn’t be working if the three of us were not together. There is a certain level of energy that we derive from one another,” She added

Zulfiqar said she had not come across funding, either private or government, since graduation.  “But, yes, international residencies are accessible.”

“There are lots of artists living and working in Lahore. It is entirely possible to make a living as an artist, as long as you are consistent and persistent, like with any other sort of work,” Zulfiqar said.

Maria added that artists are not considered part of anything. “There is international funding but only a few local residencies.  It is quite sad.”

When asked why all of their work was in the domestic sphere, Mizna responded: “That is what is happening in my life so how can I disassociate from it. Whatever is important in my life will come into my work,” she said.

“I enjoy painting women,” said Maria. “I don’t really enjoy drawing men, I cannot relate to them. It’s just not fun.”

“I have a direct link to my work. I cannot produce work about bombs, I am not around them,” said Amra Khan,

All three wondered why there had to be gender specifications about their work.

“I think older women are not seen as strong. I want the women in my work to be stronger and bigger,” Maria said.

Amra added that she had painted men. “But only androgynous men. I sometimes don’t enjoy being a woman. I would die to be a man, things would be easier. But there are times when I think it is easier and better being a woman.”

“Mizna’s work has matured, it has taken a different direction. She has moved away from family. She was stuck with certain kinds of personal imagery and now she has broken that barrier. That is a good thing,” said artist Mohsin Shafi who graduated with the three artists.

“Maria’s target audience is quite wide, and the way she portrays these women is intriguing. She is trying to capture a very popular image. You see the line quality in her work. She is skilful as a painter. She does not stick to pen or marker, she is scraping paper out which is really interesting,” Shafi added.

The show ends on November 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2012.