An icon of what is called golden era of TV and theatre in Pakistan, Salman Shahid, and known social media comedian Ali Aftab Saeed held a very lively conversation on satire in the past and present with known political analyst Mehmal Sarfraz who moderated a session entitled ‘Roz Murrah ka Hansi Mazaq’.

Opening the session, Sarfraz says satire is a light way to say a lot of things which can’t be said in the face of authority, especially in the countries where state censor is harsh and oppressive. She says political satire is everywhere and in the newspapers it is in the form of political cartoon, and on the present-day TV it is rife.

When asked about satire before social media, Salman Shahid mentioned iconic TV show Such Gup that preceded another popular show Fifty Fifty. For Such Gup he mainly gave credit to his mentor Shoaib Hashmi. He also appreciated Kamal Ahmed Rizvi, saying his satire was based on self-criticism.

He also mentioned Khwaja Mohyiddin who was behind one of the earliest TV comedy shows, ‘Taaleem-i-Balighan’.

Shahid says when people say that Fifty Fifty is still relevant, he finds it ‘sad’ because it means that nothing has changed and that we haven’t progressed as a society as we are still mired in the same problems. About the role of satire, Shahid says: “You humourise what you detest”.

To a question by the moderator that has satire changed during its long journey from TV to social media, Aftab says it is debatable that whether satire can become a vehicle of socio-political change, or it just has a cathartic effect. He says social media has at least provided everyone an opportunity to send his or her message across without any hindrance.

Talking about ‘Jugat’ as a popular form of satire, Salman Shahid says commercial theatre became hub of Jugat and icons like Amanullah in Lahore and Umer Sharif in Karachi took this form of satire to new heights. However, he says that the satire in programmes like Such Gup used to be subtle. He specially mentioned Navid Shahzad for her inclination towards political satire in the show.

Shahid says we should not look down upon certain type of satire as crude, because you never know what clicks internationally. In this connection he mentions that the Pakistani Truck Art that nobody here took seriously clicked internationally and became face of our popular art. He says that political satire doesn’t have longevity as it is about a particular political situation that is bound to change. However, he adds, that lacking longevity doesn’t reduces the value of the art employed in political satire and it is always admired.

Art at an alternate space

Shunning the usual spaces where artists mostly create art and display it -- studios and galleries, a group of young artists used industrial space for inspiration and to inspire those working there.

Conceived by artist Ayaz Jokhio, who is known for the novelty of his perspective and presentation, the idea of taking art to a space not meant for it, provided the artists an opportunity to approach their subject differently and at the same time re-explore themselves.

Sharing his views about the novel project at a session moderated by Rabeya Jalil at the Lahore Literary Festival on Saturday, Lahore-based painter, art critic and art educator Quddus Mirza said an artist becomes free when he comes out of the studio, his usual workplace, and creates art in an unusual setting -- in this case a factory. He is of the view that that art when taken to such an unconventional setting also changes the character of the very space. “Where was the factory?” he asks.

“Such venues free the artists and allow them to think out of the box... back in the studio they were looking at through a different lens”.

When asked by the moderator what made him think of the project, Jokhio says he chose the factory because to him it was both medium and the subject. He says factory is always there in the studio as the objects and tools one uses to create art were made by someone, but we don’t look at it that way when in studio. He says his idea was to also exhibit the work at an unusual place to give it a different perspective.

One of the panelists, Eman Maqbool, who is working on a publication comprising literary writings on artworks by writers who visited both studios and factories, says she actually wanted to explore their response to the factory.

Quddus Mirza says art is everywhere, even a piece of scrap can also be a form of art because it was created by someone. “ Many objects we now believe are a work of art were not created as an artwork, like African mask.”

Jokhio was of the view that art is more of a viewer’s job. “Whatever speaks to viewer is art,” he says, adding that even a plumber could create art through his work.

Rameesha Azeem says art at alternative spaces generates fresh audience. During the project, she says, the factory workers became art viewers. “And it was important in the sense that they had never viewed art before this,” she says.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2022