KARACHI: The Franco-Czech novelist, Milan Kundera, in one of his books comes up with the following insight: “The degree of slowness is directly proportional to the intensity of memory. The degree of speed is directly proportional to the intensity of forgetting.”

This implies, although it can be interpreted in other ways too, we are bogged down by the burden of memory. The sooner we start to let go of things, the quicker we move. It’s easier said than done, though. A group show titled Reprise that’s concluded on Thursday at the Canvas Art Gallery touched upon the same subject in a pretty impressive way.

The participating artists were: Mubashar Iqbal, Rehana Mangi, Tahira Noreen and Yasser Vayani.

They pick, as they should, a variety of media, different to each other’s, to express their creative views on the topic. But what are they aiming for? The gallery comes up with the following note: “Reprise brings together the practices of four artists experimenting with ideas and themes of repetition and memory. Translating the social and cultural issues of their surroundings into unique pieces of work, the show encapsulates each artist’s personal observations and experiences harmonising with the other.”

The four creative souls examine the repetitive aspect of the above statement, which is to do with the persistence of recollection. They don’t necessarily take it as a negative occurrence. Rather, they look at it as something we can’t do without; and if it’s detrimental to our growth, ways must be found to circumvent it. This is a prosaic explanation of things. The artists do that with poetic grace.

One uses lines to home in on symmetry, the other also takes the geometric route but with travel experiences and surroundings in mind, another talks about ‘roving eyes’, and the fourth focuses on the issue of conflict and its aftermath... all in relation to memory.

As a result, the viewer gets to see striking exhibits such as ‘Triangles’ (archival ink on archival paper), ‘Fraction III’ (precision cutter on wasli), ‘The Elephant Queen’ (thumb pins on cloth) and ‘Within the Silence’ (acrylics on canvas).

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2022