KARACHI: Satire is an effective way to expose society’s foibles. The interesting thing about the genre is that even the inherent element of humour in it doesn’t take anything away from the biting sharpness of the satirist’s art. This is the context that makes the five-person exhibition titled It’s All About Satire, which began at the Studio Seven Art Gallery on Tuesday, worth visiting.

Khuda Bux Abro sets the tone for the show with his striking illustrations. He is a politically and socially aware man who strongly feels about the issues that plague our society, and that shows in his work. There are certain recurring symbols that he uses to drive his point home, a few of which are: books, weapons of destruction and a mustache that’s not difficult to remind us of a torrid era in our 70-year history. The contrast [of books and weapons] is obvious, but Abro never loses sight of the aesthetics involved in art. He conveys his message without being vociferous.

Mariam Mushtaq Kazi keeps it simple. She makes use of road signs in a manner that they become signposts to tragic events. One such artwork shows a hospital sign and the distance mentioned below it renders the importance of ‘hospital’ meaningless. It is indicative of the paucity of essential services in our country. This writer was told that the person to whom the exhibition was dedicated, Mushtaque Ahmed Kazi, suffered due to a similar issue.

Jamal Ashiqain plays with alphabets. He puts together two words to denote a public area. One of the letters loses its place and the meaning of the artwork shifts from a public zone to a private one.

Fatima Sabeekah focuses on humanity’s lost innocence. What worries her is the organic form that weapons have taken in our contemporary world.

Fariha Furqan impresses with her eggshell art. While her medium is totally different from the rest of her colleagues’, her message is not.

The exhibition, curated by Mariam Mushtaq and Jamal Ashiqain (who calls himself the ghost curator of the show), will conclude on Jan 13.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2018