Visual art may, unquesti­onably, be the most tangible representation of the human mind and its many cognitive processes — that which words may fail to express, a painting can do quite simply.

Naiza H Khan’s ‘New Works’ on display at Rossi and Rossi, London, do exactly that. They map out the artist’s mind and artistic processes, visualising her thoughts and experiences.

The six new works on display hint at lived experiences and acquired knowledge through critical research. These pieces bridge Khan’s current artistic journey in London and her past practice, exploring the island of Manora and the hyper-urban city of Karachi.

Much like one of Khan’s subjects of interest— water bodies — her practice is fluid; expanding, flowing and compressing. Her work eschews limiting categorisations and tackles various themes, from contemplating climate, geography, urban spillage, mapping, to everything else encountered in these spaces.

Naiza Khan’s latest works bridge her present artistic journey in London with her past practice of exploring the island of Manora and the hyper-urban city of Karachi

The act of making, erasing, marking and re-marking echo the hum of life in busy metropolises. In the drawing Water-map 1, a cartographic outline encases a fluid splash of watercolours in a shape reminiscent of London’s map. Much like urban cities tend to spill outside their boundaries, this subtle piece evokes a similar feeling, and urges one to hit the reset button at the peak of chaos.

Visually clean and uncluttered, with an orange line drawing and a splash of blue-grey, this piece alludes to cerebral processes, acts of decision-making, filtering out the essential from the unessential, and relays a sense of calm, simplicity and restoration.

With certain artworks, it is nearly impossible to view them without considering history and politics. This fact, and that they depict distinct urban facets of two different cities, links the two pieces, Map Under Construction I, and Map Unhinged. The city referenced in Map Under Construction I, is home to colonisers, while the city alluded to in Map Unhinged was left in shambles post-colonisation.

Map Unhinged depicts debris radiating out of a central splash of paint, representing the map of London. This debris constitutes construction material, discarded/broken objects, scrapped domestic items, possible remnants from demolitions and so on. It also includes elements of interest from the artist’s previous bodies of work, such as a lingerie slip. Hints of urban life are very present in this detritus that is composed of graphite line drawing.

The piece titled Map Under Construction I ties up with Map Unhinged based on the idea of debris and rubble. This watercolour drawing is contained within an immense splash of paint reiterating the geographical borders of the city of London. Within this splash is a plethora of urban sights, such as cranes, houses, rooftops, etc.

While this is seemingly unlike rubble, the historic nature of London — hundreds of years old, its architecture and infrastructure aged and dilapidated, serving as the seat of imperial power in the West, colonising, surviving — makes it a kind of metaphorical debris. And it is this that not only ties the two cities the artist has called home, but also the two artworks, together.

The pieces titled Ariel #1 and Ariel #2 are poetic in their juxtaposing of rigid and flowing materials. Besides being a visual treat, they relay the earth’s woes. The poignant use of brass alongside the fluidity of watercolour embodies nature’s verity and mankind’s mark on it.

Laid horizontally, off the floor like a table, viewed from atop and accessed from all around is Ariel #1. As the title and edges of the brass part indicate, it is cartographic in nature and implicitly comments upon urban development. Visible layers within the splotch of watercolour, alongside the texture evident on the brass end of the piece, echo the debris in the drawings.

It is impossible to not imagine water/waterbodies in Naiza’s visuals. The hue of watercolour and brass, and the texture atop the smooth surface of the metal, bring to mind Karachi seashores, awash with litter the waves carry back on to the sand. Unsurprisingly for a Karachiite, the city by the sea surfaces in most of Khan’s new works.

Naiza Khan’s ‘New Works’ were up on display at Rossi and Rossi, London on October 4th-30th 2021

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 26th, 2021