Window to the soul: Memories of the self

The work comments on sectarian aggression and bullying.

LAHORE: The thesis display of students of textile design at the National College of Arts (NCA) that started Tuesday covers a variety of themes.

Wajahat Saeed’s thesis Sectarian Aggression features a collection of thread paintings.

“My work is grounded in the trauma of displacement when Operation Koh-i-Safaid was launched in Kurram Agency in 2008 to flush out terrorists. The shock of being uprooted is central to it,” he says.



A striking part of the display is a collection of 10 black and white thread paintings set up in a straight line offering a panoramic view of Parachinar the way the artist remembered it.

As the viewer looks from left to right, the landscape begins to fade.

At first glance, Karim Ali’s installation Bullying resembles a rotting organ with dead babies.

Created largely out of paper, the suspended piece had been painted in red, white and black. Underneath it, the artist has placed broken glass.

“This piece is about my personal experience with being bullied. Black represents the fear, red the anger and white the strength,” he says. “The glass represents shattered dreams,” he adds.

“This piece is my commentary on the role society plays in encouraging bullying,” he says.



Waqar Hussain’s Floral Garden showcases his skill with the threadwork. The artist has used layered pointillist technique.

The display is uncomplicated and has brightened up the corner where it has been set up.

“I have tried to bring a garden indoors,” he says. “I believe that less is more in art. Nature does not stand exaggeration.”

Zara Sohail’s thesis Illusion of My Memories offers an insight into her mind. A dark room is lit up by fluorescent shapes on the walls, ceiling and the ground.

In the centre of the room, she has placed a chair and a desk. Everything else in the room is connected to the desk and the chair through straight (sometimes broken) lines. “This room sums up my experience at the NCA,” she says. “The table and the chair are where it all starts - my training, my creative process, my friendships.”

Amna Gul has created a series of self-portraits titled Amnacons using buttons. “This is a visual diary of my moods. I abstracted a self-portrait and layered it with buttons,” she says. The collection features five paintings – and five moods.

Other works includes Beautiful Distraction by Muhammad Ali, Aesthetics of Terror by Anum Rani and A Nostalgic Journey by Sara Ghayas.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2015.