Ways of Deceiving: Deconstructing preconceived notions

Exhibition of nine pieces by Zaineb Siddiqui on display at Rohtas II till 16th.

LAHORE:

Nine pieces by artist Zaineb Siddiqui on display at the Rohtas II Art Gallery, seek to interpret the phenomenon of perception. Embedding photographic images in polyester resin – a liquid form of plastic – the artist presents a criticism of the concept of preconceived notions.

“Nothing is holistic. Sometimes the first impression keeps us from deeper understanding of subjects,” said Siddiqui, who teaches Fine Arts at Beaconhouse National University, from where she graduated in 2010 as a video artist.

The exhibit, Ways of Deceiving, was inspired by John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, a textbook on visual art, and is Siddique’s first solo exhibition of sculptures.

Two large installations  Window I and Window II  make a statement about time and space. “I have created an installation of a window and have installed it before a real window. The changing imagery behind window panes does not do justice to the image of the actual window. This creates a more flexible, multifaceted understanding of the real image,” said Siddiqui.

In another piece, an image of a lamp is deconstructed to show shadow and light. Images of a kite, a dressing table, and a corridor have been segregated and then layered using polyester resin.

Asad Hayee, the curator of Rohtas II, said that the artist had used the resin in a unique manner. He said that dissecting each layer of an image and then the putting it in layers is “a tedious process”. One needs to let the plastic dry before applying another layer, he said. Kites alone has about 20 to 25 images layered together.

The artist took over six months to finish the nine pieces on display. During this time, she was supported by the Zohra & Z Z Ahmed Foundation. The exhibit will stay on display until February 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2013.