Complexities in colour: A satirical view of big political issues

Imrana Tanveer unveils new collection at Drawing Room.

LAHORE:

Artist Imrana Tanveer unveiled her solo art exhibition at the Drawing Room Art Gallery, displaying the complexities of national issues on canvass. Her art exhibition is titled I Saw Two Crows Building a Nest Under His Hat and will continue till July 13.

Speaking on the occasion, Imrana Tanveer said, “The idea of my work is to show the complexities in Pakistan. The work portrays a feeling of hope and peace in difficult times.”

She added, “We are living in a time when our sovereignty is on the verge of demolition. Over the years, we have compromised and made peace with those who feared us and we have become so numb that we continue to build and live under many scared shadows.”



The body of work on display includes pieces that represent a range of expressions, including juxtaposing, imitating different imageries, using metaphors and parodies. A few of the works include an apparent visual muffle such as Golden Moustaches, Red Vector Chair, An Eye Here an Eye There, Black Cat, White Cat.

Other works include Eating of Adam’s Sons, Smashhh, Oh Really!, The Great Wave Over and Over Again, Big Brother is Watching You, Thirty Silver Coins and The Scream of The Scream.

Imrana said that the idea was to incorporate renowned artworks and their satirical combinations with local content. The resulting images have meaning at personal, social, religious and political levels, she said.

“To fully understand the work, a viewer may need to perceive it in light of multiple contexts. The work is developing a new visual language that is familiar and new to the viewer at the same time,” she added. “This is to show how humour has changed over time.”

The flag series titled Roads Always Taken is an extension of the previous flag series by the same artist titled All Roads Lead to None.

Artist Quddus Mirza said of the work, “The political content is dealt with in an innovative way which refers to a lot of world history, art and popular culture. The artist has shown a different aspect of our society in a subtle manner, yet her critique questions the entire structure of power, nationalism and globalism.”

Sanam Taseer, the curator and owner of the Drawing Room Art Gallery said, “Imrana uses her art as a way to show how complicated political power structures are in Pakistan. Her work urges the bystander to consider how layered political scenarios are interwoven with unexpected players and conspiracy theories.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2013.