KARACHI: A society with unsung heroes can, arguably, survive. A society with unsung works that help a society survive or grow is bound to face problems. The reason is simple: humans can be forgotten (they shouldn’t be), but their creations contributing to tangible or intangible cultural values are what ultimately count. This is the idea that seems to work behind an exhibition of artworks by Usman Ansari titled Unsung that opened at the Art Chowk Gallery on Thursday.

Ansari seems to have a philosophical bent of mind. He is a searcher. According to him, it’s “a series where I have used the workings and trappings of craft that are integral to the construction of our built environment, yet remain destined to be hidden from sight, touch, and ultimately appreciation”.

This reminds one of the famous couplet by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib:

Subb kahan kucch laala-o-gul mein numayan ho gai’n Khaak mein kiya suratei’n hongi ke pinha’an ho gai’n [All is not revealed in tulips and roses What images lie in the dust hidden from us]

Ansari is not merely interested in material things; he is trying to get to the bottom of the non-material things that fall victim to the uncontrollable goings-on in his surroundings. A potent example of it is the ‘Chaadar’ series (print on corrugated metal). The very word chaadar vis-à-vis our region springs to mind situations where confinement and taboo make the lives of individuals more arduous than they already are. The artist may have used it in a literal sense but the dark smudges or delicate contours in the frames depict a reality that many of us either overlook or don’t like to talk about even when we’re looking at it.

While the content is the real deal here, it is impossible to not appreciate Ansari’s craft. Even a fleeting glance at the artwork called ‘Rang’ (mixed media on canvas) will enable the viewer to marvel at the grace, elegance and feathery touch with which he composes his works.

That’s not it: to display versatility in technique, there’s a supremely complex piece named ‘Chaal’ (mixed media on canvas). It has a kinetic energy to it — the kind of energy that in Shakespeare’s words “gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name; such tricks hath strong imagination”.

The exhibition curated by Humayun Memon will conclude on Oct 28.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2021