When I arrived in Lahore, on March 23, it was 35C but cool and quiet inside the Summer Palace — Shah Jahan’s 17th century residence at the Lahore Fort. As we meandered the corridors of the immense interior, I caught sight of paintings, photographs and videos neatly sequestered into a niche here and there.

Amin Gulgee’s elegant, delicate golden sculptures shooting up from among pallets of golden haldi [turmeric] and bright red pepper flakes was a striking vision that enveloped the entire space under an expansive domed enclosure. Geometric structures amid powders from nature was Gulgee’s response to the Charbagh gardens connecting architectural sectors at the fort.

Tucked in a nearby niche we were mesmerised by Jamil Dehlavi’s video of a roiling volcano. The slow flow of burning lava provoked the chilling thought of devouring all that it touches. I thought of climate change and the war in Ukraine. Looking about, the thick walls of the Summer Palace evoked a comforting sense of protection.

Walking on we came to a niche of golden glass plates etched with the verses, “Sakal bun phool rahee sarson” [The fields are filled with yellow mustard blooms] and “Ze haal’ay miskeen m’kuntagha’ful” [Do not overlook my misery] by Amir Khusrow, the 13th century Sufi poet and musician.

In ‘Art Lahore 2022’ painting, sculptures, videos and installations by renowned Pakistani and European artists took over the Lahore Fort

A scholar as well, Khusrow has been a seminal source for South Asian arts. Reflecting the pattern of a jaali [net] from a nearby window, the impression was hypnotic. These panels created by Sabah Husain suggest the confluence of the past and present. Sabah’s two year undertaking curating Art Lahore 2022 is in itself an historic accomplishment that will be a marker for future endeavours.

Black and white screen prints — geometric shapes by Seher Shah, entitled Notes From A City Unknown — could easily represent aerial views of the structures in the 30 acres at Lahore fort. One scene with Diwan-e-Aam, another with Diwan-e-Khas, or another representing the famed Naulauka.

Wajahat Saeed’s two-dimensional drone, embedded and nearly hidden in a red textured landscape, was another striking work of art. Though red evokes violence, blood and killing, Saeed’s pictorial was not of that ilk.

Knowing how deeply the Mughals valued album painting and their unrelenting demand for expertise in portraiture, I was not surprised to find a series of small, immaculately rendered portraits by Ahsan Jamal. His subjects were not of royalty like those commonly found in Jahangir’s portfolio — but of commoners. While Ahsan employed the same skilled, immaculate technique used by Mughal painters, he references contemporary subjects. In addition, Ahsan paid tribute to Amrita Pritam and Mirza Ghalib, the two famed poets of the Subcontinent.

In the same vein, Ali Azmat shows us a remarkably realistic self-portrait. Ahsan’s teacher, Ustad Bashir Ahmad, is represented with a provocative, highly textured, fully black miniature featuring a face surrounded by multiple borders. Ahmad learned the process and lived the traditional 16th century apprenticeship experience of miniature painting with the last two hereditary painters in Pakistan.

Kamil Khan’s drawing of ‘muqarnas’ [ornamented vaulting] explores light, space and structure. And Ijaz-ul- Hassan’s drawing of a gnarled keekarr (acacia) tree, symbolic of resilience, is exquisite.

European artists’ contributions were equally provocative. Malcolm Hutchenson’s black and white photographs of working class Pakistanis give pause, as do the videos by French artists Katia Kamei, Asif Khan and Waheeda Baluch. German calligrapher and designer Timo Nasseri’s pattern of repeated interlocking circles almost perfectly emulates the motifs of the jaali that fills the window next to his artwork.

Exiting the hallowed Summer Palace, trekking upward to the recently renovated Barood Khana, we paused to view the informative video of the Shah Burj Gate and the Picture Wall conserved by the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan. The long spacious corridor of the Royal Kitchen was filled with photographs and paintings. Among them were Mouna Sabouni’s sublime photos of a hazy day landscape view of Palestine from Jordan. Arabic calligraphy was etched along the horizon —subtle, serene, lovely.

Outside, on the curving path leading to the Summer Palace, fronting a crumbling niche was Hannes Zebedin’s brick construct forming the statement that reads, “Where Freedom Exists There Will Be No State” — which seems to be the right message to ponder entering this mysterious, evocative, delightful exhibition: Art Lahore 2022.

The writer is Professor Emerita at Oklahoma State University in the US ‘Art Lahore 2022’ was on display at the Lahore Fort from March 6-April 4, 2022

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 10th, 2022