The first thing to catch one’s attention while walking into the entrance of Islamabad’s Khaas Art Gallery is a stunning array of canvases with painted images of hair, lots of hair, and ammunition! At first a feeling of being dumbfounded comes about, trying to relate a female portrait, female hair armour and guns being associated together, but when looked closer and understanding the work and intention of the artist it coincides in an agreeable manner. Tehreem Jarfi, a recent graduate from the National College of Arts, Rawalpindi, held her first solo exhibition titled, ‘Magazine’ here.

Today when contemporary art is materialising itself in a range of mediums like video art, installation and sculptural art and paintings, it is promising to see that Jafri has amalgamated all these forms of art in this one show. Still developing the theme and aesthetic expressions Jafri adapted for her NCA degree show, her work adds meaning and depth when viewed and comprehended in context.

Defining her inclination towards a conjugated theme, Jafri conceptually transforms the literal meaning of the word magazine into its deceptive other; ‘Magazine’ a metal box or drum storing cartridges, military provisions and ammunition. Facetiously dealing with violence in Pakistan’s tumultuous society, she juxtaposes guns, belts, armour and yellow lines within her body of work. Her commentary on how easily, we, as a nation, have adjusted to security barriers, violence and mayhem is evident in her images especially in her innovative use of the yellow band which are barriers to who we are and what we were. The functional significance of hair is adornment and is a way for human beings to present themselves via manipulation. In Jafri’s imagery, embellishment of the hair is used as punning extremism and violence.

Conceptual art is concerned with ideas and meanings, rather than forms and materials. Early conceptual artists of the late 1960s began to stick word-plays on gallery walls and the making of the art object was seen as a perfunctory and apathetic affair that could be assigned to assistants. However, it is hard to see how art can ever be just an ‘idea’; art only really works when it is a visual experience of some kind.

In Jafri’s installation piece titled, ‘The brew’ she has utilised chinaware, metal and wood to create a statement mocking people who have conversations about security concerns and violence over a cup of tea. This is a bold confession on behalf of Jafri’s judgment of how accommodating people are on such a serious issue. In her painting titled, ‘(I am) living suitcases’, she visualises her transition from one place to another. Mimicking a tug of war like action, she addresses the ongoing battle within herself.

Marcel Duchamp wisely states, “The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and this adds his contribution to the creative act.” Pondering over such a quote could help us as viewers to understand better.