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4th ASNA Clay Triennial: Personal to political, Chinoy lets her work do the talking

Bold, personal and hopeful were some of the words used to describe the works of painter and sculptor Tabinda Chinoy.

Creative Amna Iqbal/zahrah Mazhar January 12, 2013

quot if i leave my work in terra cotta people don t consider it a serious piece but when i do it in bronze it s approached differently quot artist and sculptor tabinda chinoy

"If I leave my work in terra cotta, people don’t consider it a serious piece. But when I do it in bronze, it’s approached differently." Artist and sculptor Tabinda Chinoy

Bold, personal and hopeful were some of the words used to describe the works of painter and sculptor Tabinda Chinoy at the Fourth ASNA Clay Triennial seminar on Saturday.

“Chinoy practices art in the traditional form and her work portrays people from this land,” said Taimur Suri, assistant professor at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. He was speaking at the soft launch of the book ‘Between Dreams and Reality - The Art of Tabinda Chinoy’, authored by art critic and writer Marjorie Husain.

Suri read out a review of Chinoy’s work by Indian writer and journalist Khushwant Singh who called it ‘bold, vibrant and full of intense colours.”

According to Niilofur Farrukh, one of the founding members of ASNA and who has known Chinoy for 40 years, the artist brings sensitivity to her work.

The book is being published by The Foundation for Museum of Modern Art (FOMMA) and is the second one for Chinoy. “Sabiha Mohammed Imani, who is the designer of the NuktaArt magazine, sat together with me and Husain to choose which paintings and sculptures would be used,” said Chinoy while speaking to The Express Tribune. When asked if she feels that there is a place for ceramics in Pakistan, she said “Ceramics and clay as forms of art are still not recognised as much in Pakistan as they are in other countries.”

A full-time artist who also donates her work for charitable causes, Chinoy felt that the people who can afford to buy art are not necessarily those who understand it or can appreciate it. “Most of the buyers [of art] are businessmen who look at pieces as an investment. We need the youth to be aware of what art is all about so that the future generations are able to appreciate it.”

Praising the seminars organised by ASNA, Husain said that it was a humbling experience to listen to the visiting ceramists. “Similarly, working with Chinoy was also a wonderful experience. Her early work was passionate as Chinoy channeled her personal problems through it,” said Husain. “But as she matured and grew, she incorporated societal and political issues in her work which really stands out.” reporting by Zahrah Mazhar

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2013.