Seven storytellers: Not just the mafia, even artists use bullets to make a point

Exhibition running at Chawkandi Art till April 2 receives favourable reviews.

Every artist has a story to tell behind their work but the work being exhibited at Chawkandi Art Gallery, Saat Kahaniyan, speaks for itself. From a young boy who wanted to be a hero to the young girl who wanted nothing more than to live in the skies - the paintings walk the visitors through each tale.

“The word storytelling (Dastangoi) was once an important form of daily life in the subcontinent. Over time, storytelling has completely receded from public consciousness,” said the curator of the exhibition, Munawar Ali Syed. “Recently, Pakistani art has been marred by the war on terror with contemporary artists turning towards inspiration from bullets and weaponry. But we need hope after the war - in Saat Kahaniyan, the artists have portrayed their stories in exuberant fashion, each focusing on a unique theme to tell their story and what life means to them.”

The exhibition features work by Ammad Tahir, Jahangeer Aalam, Naveed Akhter, Sara Khan, Shahana Munawar, Summaiya Jillani and Zainul Mursaleen. Among the pieces which stood out most was Sara’s ‘Kahani har roz ki’, which according to the artist has hit a chord with the people. “People could relate to my work and  it made them smile.”

She told The Express Tribune that the bullet shells used in her work have been collected from the street. “Ironically, I’ve used the deformed bullet shells to represent characters of my story,” she said. “The idea behind using bullets to portray people is that they are the ones being used and abused. Regular people, like the bullets, do not have control over their own fate.”

Artist Shahana was also happy with the reviews she received for her work which tells the story of a girl’s dreams of finding all the answers to her dreams in the sky. “My paintings tell the story of my fantasy of living in the sky, away from worldly troubles. I think most people want the same thing because I could see a look of serenity on their faces when they examined my work,” she said.

Interestingly, Summaiya chose the bathroom as the backdrop for her paintings - a personal space where new ideas are born and give rise to hope and new dreams.

The story of a young boy’s dreams to become a hero, which are shattered by society’s norms, has been narrated by Ammad. On the other hand, Naveed uses a river to convey an entity capable of giving prosperity to humans, as well as being a cause of destruction at times.

Jahangeer describes his ideal world full of vibrant colours, depicting his dreams and aspirations, whereas Zain chose a more dark tone for his paintings. His work reflected the delusional identity crisis affecting Pakistani society, describing how people have forgotten their roots and have adopted false identities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2013.