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NEW YORK The first museum exhibition showcasing specimens of contemporary art from Pakistan in the United States has opened at the Asia Society here.
Entitled 'Hanging Fire' and curated by Prof Salima Hashmi, the exhibition features 50 works by 15 artists. Featuring photographs, paintings and sculptures, the exhibition gives an idea of the recent and current trends in Pakistani art, says Prof Hashmi.
She says the exhibition's title, which refers to an idiom meaning 'to delay decision', evokes the idea of delaying judgment, particularly based on assumptions or preconceived notions about contemporary society and artistic expression in Pakistan.
Included in the pieces on display is one of the last major works by the late Zahoor ul Akhlaq - considered the founder of modernism in Pakistan, who was murdered in 1999 and whose body of work continues to influence young artists. The recently established and distinctly Pakistani genre of contemporary miniature painting is represented by paintings by artists like Mahreen Zuberi and Imran Qureshi who skilfully manipulate the technical discipline and meaning of the hallowed Mughal manuscript tradition.
The clash between urbanisation and rural life is dramatically illustrated in Huma Mulji's new work 'High Rise Lake City Drive'. Contradictions between global perceptions and local realities are evident in the pieces by Rashid Rana.
The exhibition has created quite a stir here, with the New York Times running a front-page report on it. The Times review says 'In many ways the exhibition... illuminates the contradictions of Pakistani contemporary art itself and of its being recognised, especially now at such a crucial juncture in the country's history, in such a prominent international fashion.'
