KARACHI: In literature, time has often been portrayed as a cruel tyrant. T S Eliot in his masterpiece The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock emphasises the fleeting nature of time by using it in a tautological manner, “There will be time, there will be time/To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet,” hinting at the importance of the readiness for time’s vagaries.

A group show titled Before the End of Time that can be seen at the Canvas Art Gallery, too, underlines the significance of the same unavoidable aspect of our life, with a slight twist. What is that twist?

Artist and critic Quddus Mirza in his curatorial note says, “We have descended to a stage, where nature’s benevolence, balance, capacity, composure, components, and resources are receding — never to return. Water is drying up, climate is changing, forests are disappearing, certain species and vegetation are becoming extinct. Once, every other entity in our surroundings is threatened, will soon be redundant — and be alone, and alien on this planet.

“Before the emergence of this time, artists have envisioned that grim, grave and gruesome situation. Responding to that bleak future, they present a scenario that invokes questions about global warming, climate upheaval, eco crisis, but instead of offering a solution, they — in a range of mediums, techniques, formats, and approaches — remind us about the urgent, and the unfortunate environmental problems.”

It is clear now that the focus of the 14 participating artists at the exhibition is the environment. But it doesn’t suggest the ecology alone. Today, the frequency of unpalatable events taking place in the cultural and social domains is no less mind-boggling.

Oftentimes, we find it hard to make heads or tails of a situation. Therefore, what the viewer sees on display are poignant exhibits made in a variety of media (oil and acrylic on canvas, gouache on wasli, concrete and metal pipe, laser print on paper etc) touching upon subjects that deal with a contemporary life affected by a vitiated atmosphere, both in ecological and sociological terms.

The artists taking part in the show, which will conclude on June 14, are: Aamir Habib, Aneel Waghela, Haider Ali Naqvi, Hamid Ali Hanbhi, Hooria Khan, Huria Khan, Jamil Baloch, Kiran Saleem, Mubashar Iqbal, Pak Khawateen Painting Club, Sadqain, Saulat Ajmal, Shahid Malik and Suleman Aqeel Khilji.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2022