KARACHI: It is always fascinating to try and get into the mind of an artist, a young artist at that, despite the fact that these days a majority of Pakistani artists tend to highlight issues that are largely socio-political in nature. Waseem Ahmed’s latest work titled In the Name of Faith, which went on display at the Chawkandi Art Gallery on Tuesday evening, is different because it focuses on the recent socio-political goings-on, which have enveloped the society, without losing sight of the aesthetic grace that is extremely important to put your message across in the realm of art.

Let’s expand on aesthetic grace first. Waseem’s use of the silver leaf is noteworthy, and he uses it often in the 16 exhibits that are on view. It lends a counterforce to the red splotches signifying that something was wrong with society, at least with some segments of society. The red, of course, is employed to either depict the violence that has become so very integral to our everyday life or the passion with which people conduct their lives. Whatever may be the case, the leaf is there to remind the viewer of the other side of the coin.

Then comes the important factor of history. Waseem creates figures and landscapes signifying a past that is hard to move away from. He juxtaposes that with veiled women and guns in quite a few of his artworks to bring in a sense of contemporariness from which comes the idea that all is being done in the name of faith. Again, the artist does not present it as a critique of the things that he does not seem to approve of. Rather, he tries to examine them from a standpoint where art shakes hands with history, without any warmth.

The exhibition will continue till April 28.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2015

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