A surreal, art escape

In these turbulent times, especially in Karachi, we need to invest in expressionism creating love, peace and harmony.

KARACHI:

Karachi is a city full of anxiety where the residents are now used to living with the volatility and an extreme sense of unpredictability.

This very situation was the reason for the postponement of a two-hour art fest that promised the inhabitants of Karachi an escape into the surreal, live interpretation of thoughts that meander into the realm of art and creativity. Whether it was suited gentlemen who washed their dirty laundry in the hallway with Surf Excel, or a carefully crafted short story of an appreciation that never was; an artist performed inches away from your face with the conviction of the recorded transcript that played through the headphones and one ultimately had an experience which took one away from the harsh reality that lies outside the boundary wall.

In a city known for exhibiting of arms and weapons and their ferocious carriers, this definitely was an exhibition of a different kind that the artist and curator Amin Gulgee must be applauded and respected for. Such endeavours not only give an avenue to the hunger of young artists but also create the much-needed vacuum where all of us need to peep in every now and then to cut a monotony of the lives that we live.

Riwhyti (Traditional) One Night Stand was a tongue-in-cheek title of the mela that Amin created in his art space with the help of two dozen artists. In what went on for a little over two hours, the name was the true representation of the happening that will only occur once, never to repeat itself with the same inhabitants in the same space. Clearly, this eventuality was reflective in the energy that came both from the performer and the audience. What many termed as an Andy Warhol-esque celebration of performance, art expression and installation using performers as props, the night introduced a new concept in the art world for never have so many different kinds of artists have come together in a single space to exert their energies.

The well-performed acts left the audience impressed. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS

Some of the top-rated performances generating a great deal of interest from the audience and valued by professionals for their thought included a live story telling session by Nimra Bucha and Madiha Ijaz opened your mind to the mirage that the artist created in front of you by her strong expressions. Tied up under the staircase was designer Fayez Agariah to the countless thin strands of various kinds of fabric making him snug into a suitcase with only his almost handicap existence one can observe from the face and his foot sticking out. Another group of young artists led by  Sikandar Mufti performed a ritual with sand that spoke of immortal love as plenty of noise distracted yet added to the buzzing ambiance that night.

This performance art evening was a part of a collateral event of the fourth ASNA clay triennial. The performance night had to postpone at the last minute to a two day later schedule given the tense situation of the city by the sea. Amin Gulgee wrote on the pamphlet, “Performance work has been a part of my art practice it is very much part of our lives in South Asia as births, marriages and deaths are all public events”.

In these turbulent times, especially in the city of Karachi that carries so much excess baggage of sectarianism, political violence and trade shutdowns, we need to invest in expressionism creating love, peace and harmony. As someone famously said, “it is only love that can fight war”.

The writer is a former print and broadcast journalist who has worked at The News and Geo TV.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2013.

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