KARACHI: The interrelatedness of a variety of forms of expression has never been more pronounced than in the 21st century. Perhaps in the 20th century its significance had dawned on art critics and practitioners when motion pictures began to work wonders in imitating and reflecting life. Painters have always been aware of it. Artist Salman Toor has named an exhibition of his latest body of work Short Stories, which can be seen at the Canvas Art Gallery. Clearly, he is paying tribute to the art of storytelling, which, in any shape or form, underlines life, warts and all.

Wait. This commentary on the interconnectedness of genres should not make us lose sight of the striking images that Toor is known for conjuring. They are as close to life as they get. The other interesting thing he does is that even when he uses a bit garish colours they do not appear to be incongruous to the scenes he creates.

This is an extraordinary ability because at the end of the day he is trying to — using the favourite phrase of rap singers — keep it real.

So what are the stories that the artist wants us to know about? And why are they short? The answer to the second question first: because it’s a frozen moment in time. Answer to the first query: we need to know about them because they have people in them that we are all familiar with. This is most evident in an exhibit called ‘Playground II’ (oil on canvas). The situation given in the artwork is so common that what the viewer is immediately drawn to is the aggressive posture of the boys in the centre of the frame. The commonness assumes an eerie feeling when the viewer, after a while, looks at the far left of the scene, and is struck by its passive atmosphere. This combination of aggression and passivity is the two sides of the same coin that Toor is highlighting — the coin we call life.

The exhibition concludes on Oct 26.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2017