September 11, 2004

The flags form part of our collective consciousness as a people that want peace on both sides of the border. In effect, they reach out to even those who are not seen as belonging to the art community

Art has continued to transcend and influence beyond the superficial layers of existence, becoming the voice of consciousness in society. Artists like Sadeqain painted the anguish of the human soul. He took references from his own surroundings to suit his expression of that angst. The cactus that he saw in the plains of Balochistan was to him a parallel of his own suffering and the collective voice of a society. Nagori, later explored a more political consciousness, his paintings confronting the socio-political climate of the 1970s and 1980s, in a more proactive assault on the establishment.

Contemporary artists like Imran Qureshi deal with similar concerns, but through subtlety. The role of the artist, which has largely been marginalized by this establishment, continues to suppress and marginalize the artist, in a way that keeps art contained within gallery space. It is also important to remind ourselves that art in this space provides interaction with a relatively small, and perhaps, insignificant number of people.

In this context, work that travels beyond and into a public space changes the context of art, and provides a more direct link to the public it seeks to inspire. The Flags of Peace has been such an exhibition. It was launched in December 2003, as part of the India Pakistan Peace Forum. Hundreds of students, journalists, artists, writers and performers from India were invited to Karachi where they met with their Pakistani counterparts, in an atmosphere of friendship and understanding. Peace between the two neighbours, and peace in the region, through cultural dialogue became a stepping stone for further links between the two countries that share much more than we choose to acknowledge. This provided the impetus for the Flags of Peace exhibition.

The curator, Niilofur Farrukh, and myself as the co-curator, envisioned a travelling show of flags of cloth that would start their journey from the lawns of the Beach Luxury hotel in Karachi, and travel from south to the north of Pakistan, and eventually to cities in India as a symbol of peace and understanding in the region. A hundred artists, painters, printmakers, sculptors and photographers, from India and Pakistan were invited to create works on a piece of cloth, one metre by one metre. The aim was twofold: one, to prompt the artist to move out of the “box” and not to replicate the paintings on cloth; but rather to explore the medium of cloth that has many traditional implications. The second was to make the artist question and reinterpret the implications of what the flag entailed. This was seen as an opportunity to make the artist aware of the significance of his or her role as a vehicle of social commentary, and subsequently, of social change.

There was a conscious decision to blur hierarchy in art, and present a united voice of solidarity that included the flags of well-known artists like Wahab Jaffer, Riffat Alvi, Qudsia Nisar, Imran Mir, and many others, along with the works of recent graduates and collaborative flags from schools. In an attempt to bring art out of the gallery and in direct interaction with the general non-gallery going public, we made ourselves, as an art community, accessible to a public that could appreciate and understand the many types of expressions, or disregard these. The original exhibition was set up as a boundary wall along the peace convention area. The flags hung from a clothesline. The images of peace stood as a reminder that peace is a privilege, and must be demanded by the people, who share much more than the political game made out of it.

Some 24 flags are being shown currently as part of the Sheraton’s Artfest from August to September 19. The attempt of the curators has been to initiate a deeper and more meaningful dialogue between art and the audience. The show merges illustrative works with more conceptual pieces that promote an inquiry into the constant shift in definitions of art itself. A flag, such as Leena Ahmed’s use of a real object like a deflated tyre with gauze to fix its punctured areas, is an example of an artist stretching her imagination to make a statement on the fragility of peace. Similarly, Indian artist Mithu Sen uses a piece of off-white silk, and pins patches of small silk squares as her statement of peace. The use of a red banner that hangs down with bells at the bottom, and an embroidered motif of the Ghauri missile, by the sculptor Munawar Ali represents the tradition of hand embroidery shared by both countries, and is also a commentary on the threat of war.

As emblems of peace that can transform the meaning of the flag, the exhibition travels to Lahore, coinciding with the peace convention taking place there, to continue to give the artist an opportunity to explore issues of nationalism, boundaries and belonging. Planned to go along with future shows are workshops that bring artists into discussion about these issues, and a catalogue that documents the works as new artists join in the journey. Moreover, it seeks to address the establishment and policymakers to look to art as a powerful tool that can help transformation and communication on a deeper level than current political actions.