A visual dialogue: Artists present contrasting perspectives on urban spaces

Syed Ammad Tahir and Anum Ather Jamal showcase their take on Karachi’s architecture.

KARACHI:

The city, we live in, is etched in our genes and its urban spaces weaved in our collective memory. The buildings leave their mark on our psyche - at the same time we are also an integral part of the spaces we occupy. This was the theme behind the works of the two artists, Syed Ammad Tahir and Anum Ather Jamal, being displayed at the Spaces Gallery till July 5.

Zainab Jafri, the first time gallery owner and curator of Spaces, chose the theme of ‘Urban Spaces’ for the first show to be hosted at the gallery. Speaking to The Express Tribune, she explained her choice by saying that despite the many uncertainties in our daily lives in Karachi, we are living in a culturally alive city. She asserted that this was the spirit that she wanted to inculcate in the audience with the show.

City of lights

Syed Ammad Tahir’s works depict Karachi’s urban spaces as a vibrant dreamscape, which at first glance, is reminiscent of a European city skyline. His work shows his fantasy city, which to him, closely resembles Karachi’s past - the city of lights, where people were full of hopes and aspirations. Tahir was of the view that his work had an escapist tendency as he wanted to forget the chaos and conflict surrounding him in everyday life. His work portrays his yearning for a city where people felt safe to go out at 3am - the city before Zia-ul-Haq’s era, he added.

Syed Ammad Tahir paints his dreamscape ‘City lights’.

Speaking to The Express Tribune about his paintings, the artist said, “Karachi, in my eyes, is a rainbow city - defined by ethnic diversity not by ethnic cleansing.”

The colours used in his work are evocative of truck art culture. He explained the use of the contrast by saying that, “Transportation is associated with a moving city life. Truck art, in all its glory, resonates the culture of the subcontinent.” Tahir is hopeful that one day his fantasy of Karachi becomes reality.

Syed Ammad Tahir’s painting called ‘Colonial remains’.

Other spaces

Artist Anam Ather Jamal captures the complexities and intricacies of Karachi’s architecture in her work.  She told The Express Tribune that, “My work reflects the fleeting fragments of Karachi retained in one’s memory on a drive around the city.” It is about constant movement and her work lays emphasis on buildings and spaces in the city. There is a retrospective quality to her work, she builds on her past experiences and meditates on spaces surrounding her.

Jamal explained her fascination with machines, saying that urban spaces had come to be defined by such devices. She further observed that the people of Karachi were similar to machines as no matter what happened in the city, they would still go about their business as per routine.

‘Subdued |X’ by Anam Athar Jamal reflecting architectural patterns.

Jamal works with pencil, graphite and her smaller drawings have a sense of intimacy. “I deconstruct and reconstruct the architecture of Karachi, always hoping to illustrate the ideal city,” she said.

Appreciation

An art connoisseur and columnist, Anwer Mooraj, commenting on the contrasting works showcased at the gallery told The Express Tribune that, “Tahir’s works show a façade of mushrooming buildings in the city in gorgeous colours while Jamal focuses on fragmented buildings - her work is meticulous and her stroke play is very mature for such a young artist.”



“Jamal takes spaces to another dimension while Tahir omits the bad side of Karachi and focuses on the brighter side of life,” said Masuma Halai, who taught both the artists at the IVS. When The Express Tribune asked her about the work of contemporary artists she said, “The artists should focus on the visual aspects of their art so that it could be self-explanatory.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2013.