Art in 3D: MAD in (and about) Karachi
The show, featuring works of 21 artists, will run till January 25 at ArtChowk-the Gallery.
Noman Siddiqui’s Inaam. PHOTO COURTESY ARTCHOWK-THE GALLERY
KARACHI:
Living in Karachi conjures up an amalgamation of diverse feelings in its dwellers. Hemmed in by an inexplicable madness, they cope with a sense of belonging as well as of estrangement as they fight their individual day-to-day battles.
Representing these nearly 21 million dwellers, 21 Karachi-based artists attempted to capture this particular aspect of the metropolis through their compelling individual stories at the second edition of 'Mad in Karachi… 3D' showcased at Art Chowk - the Gallery.
The striking feature of the exhibition, curated by Munawar Ali Syed after a two-year hiatus, was the use of diverse materials to offer a thoughtful interpretation of the varied facets of the city through the three-dimensional practices employed by the artists, leaving a social and political imprint on the contemporary art scene.
"The emphasis is given on the individual idea and its manifestation that affect living in this city, while the city gives the work a certain edge," said Ali Syed while talking to The Express Tribune. "From political activism to material culture or form, this exhibition brings diverse artistic engagements to arrest the viewer's attention which has been neglected so far to a great extent."
While the narrative does not necessarily address the concerns of the city, Ali Syed was positive that the essence of the city was imbued in the artists' work.
With oil paint and plaster strips on canvass, artist Masuma Halai Khwaja's story was about the conflicting emotions she holds for Karachi — about belonging and estrangement. "This city is so deeply entrenched within me and yet there is a desire to escape," remarked Khwaja about her art work.
As his statement on media's prevailing role in the midst of Karachi's deteriorating law and order situation, Noman Siddiqui, a multidisciplinary artist who graduated from Arts Council Institute of Arts and Crafts in 2005, put to exhibit a set of gleaming brass bullets on tripods, sardonically titled 'Bol keh lab aazad hain tere' [Speak, for your lips are free]."My concerns are about the media-oriented manipulation of the audience and how they use any news in favour of a certain socio-political slant," Siddiqui told The Express Tribune.
Artist Nabeel Majeed Sheikh, who teaches fine arts at the Karachi School of Art, used paper and acrylic to craft an appealing noose as a statement, on what he termed, "monopoly of the elite in the struggle among social classes."
"The dispensation of justice is controlled by the rich and powerful, for they enjoy authority in our present society," he said. "Despite that, the ruling class fools the public by constituting the laws, which are not applicable to them. The common man on the street, without any live security, lives, however, under the fear of the noose at all time."
Hamida Khatri's work, titled 'The Manifestation of Her Own Existence', and based on wood, gramophone records and metal, not only makes her think of her own being as a woman but other people she associates herself with. ""Being a feminist and caged in the fragments of a patriarchal society, my only concern is what remains of a woman as an individual. What is the merit of her existence? What defines her?" asked Khatri. A fresh graduate in fine art and an MBA in marketing, she has recently joined Vasl Artists' Collective in coordinating projects in and outside Pakistan.
The show will run till January 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2013.
Living in Karachi conjures up an amalgamation of diverse feelings in its dwellers. Hemmed in by an inexplicable madness, they cope with a sense of belonging as well as of estrangement as they fight their individual day-to-day battles.
Representing these nearly 21 million dwellers, 21 Karachi-based artists attempted to capture this particular aspect of the metropolis through their compelling individual stories at the second edition of 'Mad in Karachi… 3D' showcased at Art Chowk - the Gallery.
The striking feature of the exhibition, curated by Munawar Ali Syed after a two-year hiatus, was the use of diverse materials to offer a thoughtful interpretation of the varied facets of the city through the three-dimensional practices employed by the artists, leaving a social and political imprint on the contemporary art scene.
"The emphasis is given on the individual idea and its manifestation that affect living in this city, while the city gives the work a certain edge," said Ali Syed while talking to The Express Tribune. "From political activism to material culture or form, this exhibition brings diverse artistic engagements to arrest the viewer's attention which has been neglected so far to a great extent."
While the narrative does not necessarily address the concerns of the city, Ali Syed was positive that the essence of the city was imbued in the artists' work.
With oil paint and plaster strips on canvass, artist Masuma Halai Khwaja's story was about the conflicting emotions she holds for Karachi — about belonging and estrangement. "This city is so deeply entrenched within me and yet there is a desire to escape," remarked Khwaja about her art work.
As his statement on media's prevailing role in the midst of Karachi's deteriorating law and order situation, Noman Siddiqui, a multidisciplinary artist who graduated from Arts Council Institute of Arts and Crafts in 2005, put to exhibit a set of gleaming brass bullets on tripods, sardonically titled 'Bol keh lab aazad hain tere' [Speak, for your lips are free]."My concerns are about the media-oriented manipulation of the audience and how they use any news in favour of a certain socio-political slant," Siddiqui told The Express Tribune.
Artist Nabeel Majeed Sheikh, who teaches fine arts at the Karachi School of Art, used paper and acrylic to craft an appealing noose as a statement, on what he termed, "monopoly of the elite in the struggle among social classes."
"The dispensation of justice is controlled by the rich and powerful, for they enjoy authority in our present society," he said. "Despite that, the ruling class fools the public by constituting the laws, which are not applicable to them. The common man on the street, without any live security, lives, however, under the fear of the noose at all time."
Hamida Khatri's work, titled 'The Manifestation of Her Own Existence', and based on wood, gramophone records and metal, not only makes her think of her own being as a woman but other people she associates herself with. ""Being a feminist and caged in the fragments of a patriarchal society, my only concern is what remains of a woman as an individual. What is the merit of her existence? What defines her?" asked Khatri. A fresh graduate in fine art and an MBA in marketing, she has recently joined Vasl Artists' Collective in coordinating projects in and outside Pakistan.
The show will run till January 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2013.