On Diversity
Marshalling one’s thoughts on the complexities of contemporary Pakistani art can be a tricky affair. The pace at which practitioners and practices are evolving and jostling for attention can be disconcerting for someone who has witnessed the early decades of modernism and the leisurely pace of development until the 1970s.
Untitled (2016)
by Aamir Habib
The suppression and tumult which occurred in Pakistan after the coup d’état of General Zia ul Haq gave impetus to the Women’s Movement and, by association, to women artists. Radical new imagery and mediums proliferated in the following two decades. The “neo-miniature” took off, as artists investigated the possibilities of widening the horizons of the traditional miniature and its rigorous techniques.
Frozen Second (2016)
by Ali Saad
Three decades later, the hinterland from where aspiring artists originate has also expanded. Today rapid communication networks have assured diversity in art student populations across the country.
The art educational institution is still a defining factor in shaping practices and providing art forums, but here too, the centres have multiplied.
Approve My Tulips (2016)
by Alia Bilgrami
Until the 1980s it was primarily the National College of Arts in Lahore, which had the distinction of having eminent artists on its Faculty, who trained an emergent body of young graduates, acknowledged as future leaders in painting, sculpture and printmaking.
The Spartan Trance (2016)
by Alina Akbar
Today, such cosy labels are defunct – boundaries are blurred. As the roster of this group of over two hundred artists demonstrates, they range from those who earned their laurels in the stringent confines of traditional miniature painting to those working in digital media, installation and collaborative community projects. The medium is only partially the message. The concerns are copious and the outcomes often nuanced and oblique.
Untitled (2016)
by Ayesha Durrani
At one time, the main preoccupations were to do with national identity, gender and conflict. Their manifestations were often overt, and somewhat self- conscious. But times have changed.
Red Background (2016) by Hamid Ali Hanbhi
The location of the artist has become less apparent to the onlooker. Gender and conflict are spoken of in cryptic and ironic ways. The artist defines his or her sense of belonging in multiple subtle idioms and forms. Its presence is intrinsic to the artist’s envisioning of the work and the manner in which it reflects the practitioner’s origin. The speed with which information and ideas are communicated can be intimidating to the young artist being educated in the “academy”. The yearning to be recognised as a unique individual is accompanied by a devastating awareness that everything worthwhile has already been articulated.
Memories of Mall Road (2016)
by Haris Hidayat
The hankering after the search for one’s own voice runs parallel to the fear of failure or fading fulfilment. Being surrounded by a conservative social order makes these ventures ever hazardous. Somehow, in these thickets, artists find creative energies and enough innovative ideas to fertilize art making.
Gorgon Stare (2016)
by Mahwish Chishty
Private gallery spaces are inundated by artists waiting to discover their audience and carve out their place in the ongoing art discourse. These spaces are symptomatic of the often contradictory demands of the viewer.
There are galleries which are distinctly commercial in location, programming and priorities. They serve a clientele which, although not averse to the label of “patron”, view art acquisitions as investments.
Paunch (2016)
by Sidra Asim
Earth & Heaven (2016)
by Muhammad Noman Siddiqui
While a number of artists cater to these demands, a larger number is looking to engage their peers and a discerning public in a conversation which is stimulating and fulfilling. Such opportunities may not be frequent, but modes of such encounters are now manifold.
Self-portrait (2016) by Quddus Mirza
Artists residencies, alternative spaces, pop-up exhibitions and educational institutions provide incentives for artists to continue to work after leaving art school. Imago Mundi – Pakistan reveals vibrancy in imagery, in commissioning of materials and mediums, in articulation of ideas and overlapping of frameworks. The streams of contemporary practices appear clearly demarcated. The urban experience, text into image, nostalgic lyricism, historical intent, knife-edged feminism, quirky humour, acerbic commentaries and decorative sensualities are all represented.
Other’s land (2016)
by Shakila Haider
Don’t ever Love Me (2016) by Rabia Hassan
One may expect that the all-pervasive international discourse in art-making and its trends could easily be imbibed and ingested by young artists. However, this may not always be the case. To the contrary, one often finds a refreshingly independent probing of ideas and essences. The complexities of locations and troubled identities are internalised, emerging in unexpected variegated avatars. One is hesitant to claim that the Pakistani artist can be singled out as a marker of time and place, but there is much to support that view.
Covert (2016)
by Sadaf Naeem
Untitled (2016)
by Rahman Zada
This assorted and divergent sampling of contemporary Pakistani practices is to be thoughtfully perused and pondered over.
Salima Hashmi
