EXHIBITION: THE THREADS OF CULTURE
Histories, whether personal or collective, are vital to the formation of identity. Our experiences as individuals and as a nation interact with personalities and attitudes to leave lasting impressions on our mind, informing the way we perceive the world. Given the fickle nature of our history rife with cultural invasions, it is no surprise that our collective search for identity remains a topic of interest for most contemporary Pakistani artists.
Masuma Halai Khwaja’s latest show at the Canvas Gallery in Karachi dealt with similar issues. Her exquisite textile- and embroidery-based pieces spoke about the part history and cultural diversity have to play in our present lives. The old rugs and kilims collected by the artist from flea markets over a period of time act as her canvas over which memories and histories weave out her narrative – their origins in the Afghan refugees camps adding an extra layer of commentary to the works.
Indigenous crafts and embroideries cut up and sown on to the surface at once clash and merge with it, much like the ideas they represent, holding their own unique presence while drastically altering the carpets to create something new and independent of both. The physical act of producing the work mimics the dynamics of history by systematically deconstructing, appropriating and reconstructing diverse cultural identities, traditional values and personal memories to bring something new to life.
The exquisite textile and embroidery-based pieces exhibit by Masuma Halai Khwaja highlights the fact that heritage does not exist in a timeless vacuum but evolves like living beings
The artist’s practice has always revolved around the use of fabric and strong cultural and religious symbols to comment on subjugation, restraint and extremism, something that seems to have informed her current body of work as well. The visual consequence of this is quite striking, with portraits rendered through beautifully chaotic and vibrant embroidery. The clashing styles, patterns and motifs ironically lend a graphic appeal to the works as the faces pop out of the woven backgrounds. The result is both traditional and contemporary, textile with pop art flair, an embroidered painting.