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Pakistanis are more talented and aware than the West, says artist Amina Ansari

Pakistanis are more talented and aware than the West, says artist Amina Ansari

Amina Ansari is a British-Pakistani artist living in Islamabad who aims to “bridge the gap between East and West”
28 Sep, 2017

Amina Ansari is a British-Pakistani artist living in Islamabad who aims to “bridge the gap between East and West”.

She has studied at Central Saint Martins in London, United Kingdom, and at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. Dawn sat down with Ms Ansari to discuss her work.

What influences or inspires you as an artist?

Amina: First of all, it’s my mother. She’s the one who recognised my art as a child. Then a few years later it was Gulgee, he told my mother that I would make a name in Pakistan, that I had a gift in art. I had no interest at all; when you cannot read and write and speak, you are in your own world and you get frustrated.

When I came to the NCA in Lahore, it was the first time I realised that there are influences from every level of life; the poor, the middle class, the upper class, the low profile to the famous - you meet all kinds [of people] and people from the West come back to Pakistan as well… For me it’s all about different walks of life.

With time I realised my colours, my technique, my skill was unusual. If you look at my work, you see layers by layers; you can see I’m mostly self-taught.

Amina's unusual portraits
Amina's unusual portraits

When I came to NCA [I had a teacher] who would throw chai over my work, and I would smile at her. She would wonder why this girl is smiling… and then she said, ‘fix this’. Ah, you want me to re-invent, you want me to play along with this.

In Pakistan, in art school, you have to explore new concepts, explore with materials. My next philosophy is Sufi and robotic, because I am half spiritual and half robotic - it could be humour, or it could be education.

You said that as a child you were ‘in your own world’ - how far is your work a way for you to communicate your own world to others?

Amina: I know my motives, I know my aims, I know myself 100pc. At that time I was unconscious…but with time I realised I’m not the only one with communication problems. I had to deal with all kinds of hardship; when you’re born with hardship, it’s part of you. But when you get older you laugh, you mock, people will think you’re the most insensitive woman - so for me, it’s humour.

I’m friends with the gatekeeper, I’m friends with the chef; I’m very strict, I’m very feisty, but with time people cry when I leave; it’s my gift.

Gulgee told my mother that I would make a name in Pakistan

Same with my artwork, I don’t plan every time - I just create and I surprise myself. And I have been very fortunate that when people look at my work, they [feel] an impact… I have been very fortunate that people are able to recognise my colours… even people who don’t understand art can have a reaction. Every single common man has a reaction towards my art.

Are there any forms of art that you’re looking to get into in the future?

Amina: In Pakistan, people are very hungry because they want to become like the West; by looking at the internet, by looking at books, by copying people’s ideas; they are far more talented and much more skilful and much more aware than the West.

We, in a way, have so much more to offer. So when I came back, even though I’m not a sculptor, there are so many options for first-hand materials in Lahore.


Originally published in Dawn, September 28th, 2017

Comments

Saima Sep 28, 2017 10:44am
"By copying people's idea, they are far more talented, skilful and aware than the west" Copying someone's idea is not talent.
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truth seeker Sep 28, 2017 12:17pm
She's right. We've been ripping Bollywood films also & portraying it as our own. Lately all our films look like Bollywood carbon copies.
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Farrukh Arshad Sep 28, 2017 01:19pm
@Saima There is a semi-colon at the end which terminates the previous statement (i.e by copying people’s ideas; - ended here - ) but also providing the response. So the author is not suggesting that copying the idea is a talent.
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kabir Sep 28, 2017 01:39pm
yes surely in Dream
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vin Sep 28, 2017 02:34pm
Sufism is not consider as a eastern philosophy. One should be aware of eastern and western ideas to bridge the gap. I smell identity crisis.
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