Photo exhibition: Trip to the hub of Old Lahore

Kulsoom Aftab’s photographs make for a vivid ride through the city streets.

ISLAMABAD:

A subtle love for the architecture of Old Lahore is what the photographer Kulsoom Aftab has showcased through her latest exhibition of photographs at Nomad Gallery. The exhibition —featuring photographs and naqashi prints — opened on Wednesday. 

Taken in and around Wazir Khan Mosque, the photographs capture the intricate design within the interior as well as the towering structure of the mosque in vivid detail. Shot at different angles, they withhold the essence of the mosque in its magnificence. The images of ink-filled tiles and thick brick walls are reminiscent of the rich cultural heritage of the city.

The photographs take one through a visual tour of an old market place, carved wooden doors, people and birds in the vicinity of the mosque. The scenes of everyday life in the backdrop of historic structures, bind into a visual narrative in the heart of the city.

A photograph of Delhi Gate, which leads to the mosque, shows minarets atop a bustling market square. People, as they go through their mundane routines, are shown at various points of a narrow alley lined with shops and odd motorbikes here and there amid the crowd. The people, mostly men, are clad in woolen caps and shawls apt for the winter day. Sunlight pours in through a tunnel-like structure of the market, highlighting various items hanging out the shops including shawls, khussas and toys.

With a distinctive focus on doors, the photographer has shot them in both black and white and sepia tones. “Aik kabootar” is a black-and-white photo of a dove perched on a large, charcoal-coloured metallic door. The dusty hooks and the grainy texture of the door exude an antique look. Contrasted against the expanse of the door, the white dove stares back over its side with an indecipherable expression. In another image, there is a carved wooden door left ajar, with steps leading up to an attic bathed in sunlight.

In “Singhore”, there is a vendor carrying fruit baskets on his motorbike. Then there are caged chickens mounted on a motorbike in snapshot titled “Murghah.” To give the feel of a journey, there is also an empty jeep with an Islamabad number plate dangling from its rear. The exhibition continues till June 30.

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