KARACHI: An exhibition of paintings to be sold by silent auction to raise funds for the renovation of Cantt Railway Station opened at Gallerie Sadequain, Frere Hall, on Friday evening. The title of the show, organised by the Pursukoon Karachi initiative, is Aghaz-i-Safar which means the journey begins.

A little over a year ago, a group of creative people got together to respond to a spate of violence that had engulfed the city. They called this collective response Pursukoon Karachi (a peaceful Karachi). Among other things that they intended to do was to renovate historical sites in the city. As a result, the renovation of Cantt Railway Station, constructed in 1898 with Romanesque gables and entryways, began. The exhibition is part of that campaign.

Artworks by more than 100 artists are on display. A vast majority of these painters have proven credentials, and they seem to be well-aware of the troubles that Karachi has gone through in recent times. While some have opted to be as realistic in spelling out the metropolis’ problems, others, as it often happens in a group show, have gone for a roundabout way of expressing themselves.

Keeping the railway station theme in mind, Fariha Taj has come up with an interesting piece. While the bottom of the painting focuses on a train, the upper half is crammed with coiled and crisscrossed cables, a sight very common in Karachi. But the artist has used the scene as a metaphor for the convoluted state of sociopolitical affairs in the country, something which society has been trying to disentangle itself from.

Qurutulain Qamar makes a delightful commentary on how wall chalking reveals issues like (mis)education and turf wars. In her work, the artist shows a surface on which two pieces of writing stand out: one reads ‘Karachi hamara hai’ (Karachi is ours) and below it is a verse in Urdu, attributed to the famous poet Faraz, about the city being caught in a fire. Of course, the verse is technically flawed and has nothing to do with the poet. Therefore the painting is noteworthy for two reasons — the tussle for the ownership of the megapolis and a lack of education.

Nabahat Lotia keeps it simple in order to say more. In her work a pretty, harmless bird is seen perched on a barbed wire. Birds and barbed wires — the story of our city!

The exhibition will continue until May 25.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2015

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