Mansur Salim was a visual artist, art teacher and lecturer with a number of solo exhibitions to his credit. The latest show at the Koel Gallery in Karachi, In Remembrance of Mansur Salim, acts as a kind of visual memoir for the late artist, showcasing selected works from his prolific oeuvre that perfectly encapsulate the diversity of his style. The works offer a glimpse into his fascinating works lightly treading one step beyond the realms of reality, carrying within them volumes of hidden narratives.

The show is put together by the artist’s wife and son two-and-a-half years after his death. Salim had been painting and exhibiting since the ’70s, and had been mentored by the likes of Syed Ali Imam and Sadequain. His work cannot be hitched on to any one particular theme, style, or ‘ism’, but rather seems to be more subconsciously driven and presented in the best possible language. As a result, we see realism meshed with hints of surrealism, modernist sensibilities in some pieces, and abstract gestural in others. There are even a few that remind one of graphic illustrative techniques. The diverse subject matter, ranging from archeological visuals and art history references to depictions of space and deep conceptual musings, gives a sense of exploration and experimentation.

Salim paints what he describes as “flashes” which come to him in the form of visual as well as auditory cues, which gives a lot of these works a rather spontaneous quality. In a way, they then become an amalgam of etchings of past experiences, present reality and visions of unknown origins. According to the artist a deeper understanding of the complex nature of the works can be reached through interpretations of anthropology, psychology, history, neurology and other aspects of human study.

A particularly intriguing piece is that of a planetoid with the image of a house suspended next to it. The illustrative style of the piece with the striking chiaroscuro of the huge floating rock and the beautiful treatment of the stark light on its violent textures set against the darkness of space adds an ethereal feel to the piece. It seems to be talking about futuristic concepts of colonising space, yet in a language that is simplistic and grounded.

There is a quiet mystery surrounding certain pieces which sets an ominous mood when viewing these works. These paintings seem to be concealing more than they reveal in their bizarre imagery. A female arm extends out of the darkness, but doesn’t seem to be reaching for anything in particular. A foot rests on a ledge of a building, melding with the shoe and the ground below, creating impossible illusions. Two faces bite at opposite ends of a scroll, symbolically exchanging a dialogue, connected through conversation. Yet their eyes remain shut so that they are disengaged, withholding that which truly matters, robbing the verbal exchange of any depth.

One of the pieces shows a tin roof of a shanty drowning amidst a violent blue sea, which seems to be a reference to more current events rooted in reality, where so many houses get washed away in monsoon floods. Another piece shows a small barrel on the corner of a U-shaped road painted beautifully in a continuous gestural stroke. This may be a flash of any scene from the artist’s life, but the quiet emptiness it exudes piques the interest. It seems to be in a transitory state, like the middle of a story with no beginning or end, a moment stolen and fossilised, which is what adds a strange mystery and intrigue to the piece.

Each exhibit seems to portray a small portion of an entirely new story, yet leaves most of the details — and perhaps even the ending — open to interpretation. There seems to be no overarching theme, or specific concern, just snippets of ideas, visions and “flashes” that are granted meaning through representation.

“In Remembrance of Mansur Salim” was on display at the Koel Gallery from May 24 till June 5, 2017

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 25th, 2017