Each of the four female artists in Karachi’s Canvas Gallery’s latest and aptly titled exhibition Wearable Variable weaves collective stories under the realms of history, conflict, affection and irony. This is because the exhibited works powerfully investigate these areas that contain numerous historical journeys and tales of relationships.

Masuma Halai Khwaja, Bushra Waqas Khan, Marium Agha and Sara Mahmood bring about that vital power to bring vitality to art shows in physical galleries that we have all been waiting for.

For over a decade now, Khwaja has used textiles to revisit overlooked stories that are inevitable parts of historical conflict, including human exodus. In this show, the artist embroiders to unearth collective experiences that form a crucial fragment of the military and political dispute between East and West Pakistan in 1971. However, as harrowing as these violent accounts of struggle may be, they are often erased or overshadowed from the national consciousness and history books. Thus, in a research exchange programme in the UK, the works were prompted from Khwaja’s research of history of war between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The result is a body of artwork that is meticulously created, using the Bengali ‘Naqshi Kantha’ stitch on garments worn in both countries: the saree, kurta shalwars and the more formal sherwani.

The artist’s ‘The Honeymoon Period’, a hand-embroidered stitch on a cotton sherwani is one of the strongest works in the show. From the outside, the medium-length sherwani has a deep brown colour, like the soil of war-riddled ground. Inside, regionally outfitted men that ride horses and carry guns roar in triumph, while several men on foot protest before them. These subjects are embroidered on a bright red interior that is symbolic of bloodshed. With such contrasting colours and imagery, Khwaja investigates the under-reported violence of war, ironically through ceremonious clothing items.

Textiles take centre stage as four women artists investigate different facets of human history and identity

Printmaker Khan uses motifs of crescents and stars from domestic affidavit paper to create miniature sculptural works, addressing records of many historical cultures that have existed in the South Asian region. ‘Crazy Patchwork’ is a 19-inch-tall dress made with the fabric organza, silk and silk thread. The closely suppressed imagery on the fabric is achieved through an arduous method of strategically positioning design of the stamp paper, photo transferring all the modules on to fabric, and finally stitching the fabric prudently. The puffy sleeves and the wide fall of the dress portray cultures of the previous centuries while sophisticated navy-blue stars and geometric prints, as inspired from stamp paper, indicate the presence of these cultures on the subcontinental land.

Agha’s ‘You Are Enough’, a jacket made with Italian suit fabric and embellished with thread, sequins, and faux crystal stones, serves as a missive, especially to women. The work speaks of love and service that is given by women to their lovers and expected in return — often this love is not fully reciprocated. In Agha’s works, including ‘You Are Enough’, the medium of fabric per se acts as the yearning and passion that a woman uses to woo her lover. The work suggests that the attire is also what must keep a woman sane, for ultimately in the absence of an ideal lover, she is sufficient for herself. Included in the show are more works by the artist from 2016 such as the zesty embroidered handkerchief ‘The Service Of The Woman’ and the ‘Heart’s Paradox’, which portrays bold feminist imagery under similar contexts.

Themes of truth, love and history are completed with works by artist and curator Mahmood, as they uncover limitations of human mind and body. The works look at how confusion arises between humans, ironically even with open communication and interaction that results in little progress. Her works are conceptual, which means they may be interpreted freely by spectators.

“Wearable Variable” was exhibited at Canvas Gallery in Karachi from September 8 to September 17, 2020

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 20th, 2020