Pushing the boundaries of contemporary drawing

Published February 26, 2017
Waters of Thirst (2003), Anwar Saeed
Waters of Thirst (2003), Anwar Saeed

Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence,” the French fauvist Henri Matisse once aptly put it. Sure enough, drawing has slowly evolved from being a brainstorming tool or a precursor to more ‘proper’ mediums, to its contemporary form — where it is a medium of expression in and of itself. It is no longer just a linear representation in pencil on paper, but a means to lend raw ideas a physical manifestation through the most expressive materials possible.

The premise of the show, “What is Seen and Not Seen with or Without Seeing” at Gandhara Art-Space in Karachi, thus allows us to explore some exciting works that push the boundaries of the medium and emancipate it from its reputation as a preparatory exercise. As the curator, Haajra Haider Karrar, explains in her note, “[the show] is a subjective survey of drawing as a reflective process which extends beyond sensory perception. It reviews the trajectory of an idea as it transforms from ‘being’ into ‘becoming’ (visual / physical manifestation of the idea), the transformation of the intangible into tangible, irrespective of the tools utilised to aid this process.”


A curated group show follows the evolution of drawing as an independent medium of artistic

expression through the works of different artists

The works on display may not fit into your dictionary definition of ‘drawing’ but rather encapsulate its essence, as they are the visual iterations of a thought —an idea being negotiated and resolved — and carrying with it an expressive spontaneity. Drawing then becomes the primary medium, while at the same time acting as a cognitive release on the path to perceptual clarity which, in a lot of cases, leads to abstraction. As Muhammad Ali Talpur puts it, “When the string gets entangled, you hold a single end and follow its unravelling. This is perhaps what happens each time, in the act of drawing for me.”

Similarly, Hammad Gillani’s minimalist vasli pieces condense his concepts into pseudo-gestural mark-making to indicate the humble beginnings of destructive extremist social behaviours, which are again a shift from his previous works inclined towards hyper-realism.

Ali Kazim dilutes his representational explorations of identity into a formal study of special relationships upon multiple layers of translucent paper. The display and abstracted form reads as transitional period catering to deeper understanding of concepts and maturation of thought.

Noor Ali Chagani’s abstracted minimalism enters the 3D realm; his miniature concrete blocks placed in a grid mimic the grey building structures of Karachi reflecting social and capitalist structures that cage the middle-class male.

Adeel uz Zafar moves from his signature subtractive technique and plays with his display to further drive home the concepts on duality inherent in his works. He lays his two pieces out like an open book, akin to a holy scripture, accompanied by sounds of scraping, taking drawing from 3D to 4D.

Dirty Linen (2017), Quddus Mirza / Untitled 2 (2017), Adeel uz Zafar / Radio Photo of Unidentified Object (1983), Zahoor ul Akhlaq
Dirty Linen (2017), Quddus Mirza / Untitled 2 (2017), Adeel uz Zafar / Radio Photo of Unidentified Object (1983), Zahoor ul Akhlaq

On the other hand, Quddus Mirza’s work seems almost a brainstorm of ideas, like something you would find on a studio wall, where connections are drawn subconsciously between different visuals in order to tell a contextually relevant story.

Sara Khan’s musings are more of an unfiltered, almost childlike retelling of events interspersed with daydreams and fantastical imaginings. Her imagery, in contrast to others’, is complex and colourful, reflecting her interest in studying different perspectives and viewpoints in the same image. Similarly, Anwar Saeed’s stylised modernist style gives way to symbolism and narrative, talking about controversial themes of homosexuality.

The curator has made a conscious decision to include artists spanning multiple generations and several decades. Their practices have undergone drastic as well as gradual evolution in style and technique. This allows us to trace the evolution of drawing itself from modernist and postmodernist aesthetics to contemporary abstraction, all the while keeping up with technological innovations and changing political and social climates. As a result we get a comprehensive exploration of drawing as an artform in Pakistan that challenges our preconceived notions and broadens the horizons of future possibilities.

“What is Seen and Unseen With or Without Seeing” is being displayed at the Gandhara Art-Space, Karachi, from February 9 till March 14, 2017

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 26th, 2017

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