The title of Salman Toor’s latest exhibit at the Canvas Gallery, Short Stories, is a fitting encapsulation of the exquisite paintings on display that seem to be visual snippets of larger events, adequately self-contained as complete narratives. Each piece is a moment frozen in time and removed from its place in a typical day; various details utilised to provide a wider understanding of the world around us. Even the style is somehow reminiscent of illustrations found in children’s Urdu storybooks from school curriculums.

Only here the fictional tales interact with personal ones and reveal interesting social themes.

Toor’s realism is perhaps the truest form of the movement one could find in the 21st century, not only realist in its technique but also in its content. The drama is delivered with poise and is understated through its context within ordinary circumstances. Each painting has a multitude of narratives taking place at once, presenting to the viewer a microcosm of ideas so that each time you look at it you discover something new, from contemplations of basic human nature to depictions of greed, power, vulnerability and class struggles — creating a multitude of layers for the audience to peruse.

Salman Toor’s latest works are a negotiation among fiction, reality and autobiography

The artist’s use of painterly genres — portraiture, landscapes and still life — shed light on certain realities in our surroundings that reside in its subtleties and often go unnoticed perhaps due to our proximity to the situation. Yet this is achieved through mundane elements within the compositions meant to hint at larger themes — a glance, a gesture, a fleeting expression, the placement of certain objects and characters or a scene unfolding in the background — rather than bold symbols that are outwardly bizarre. ‘Flower Arrangement’ is a good example of this, presenting a moment of moral conflict, greed and temptation. It questions the vulnerability of the subject in his weighted glance, wrapping it in the decorative veneer of a pretty still life.

The ironies and absurdities the artist attempts to point out are blended into the ordinary, so that the unease they cause scarcely registers at first. There are contradictions within the works, putting various components at odds with each other, yet allowing them to coexist in harmony. A good example is the piece ‘Empty Plot’ which displays a clear apathy towards the visual of a skinned animal not only through its characters, but also in the interesting play of colour within the piece that serves to camouflage the gore. Yet the repeated colour scheme also serves another purpose, drawing comparisons between man and the slaughtered and skinned animal, projecting its fate on to him, while also equating it to the growing flowers and their beauty. As a result, violence is not just assimilated into society but becomes a source of pleasure, almost a romantic notion.

‘Playground II’ holds intrigue for similar reasons, with the portrayal of aggression and violence integrated into the beautiful scenery. The audience seems to be expected to take its cue from the other characters going about their business, and even the placement of the struggle does not seem to give it centre stage in the overall narrative. The fight then becomes something that is just incidentally there as part of the landscape, much like it is in our lives today.

The abstract text-based pieces are meant to be autobiographical accents to the work, presented in the form of exclamatory signage. They involve a combination of diary excerpts, Urdu gibberish and poetry, resulting in mostly incomprehensible script meant to be enjoyed for its visual appeal and symbolic significance. While these pieces offer an interesting dichotomy of style and are fascinating depictions of the self on their own, they mostly come off as redundant among the rich visuals of the representational pieces and serve as interruptions in the overall visual congruency of the series.

While the artist remains inspired by fiction and weaves it into autobiographical accounts, what emerges is a more universal portrayal grounded in reality. The stories may not be based in real life but they speak of it, and depict it, with the intricacies of our existence as a society reflected within each canvas.

“Short Stories” was on display at the Canvas Gallery in Karachi from October 17 till October 26, 2017

Published in Dawn, EOS, November 26th, 2017