‘Visible Invisible’
The complex imagery this results in seems to mimic history itself, with its subtly varying shades of grey and unwavering endless textures interspersed with dramatic dark blotches representing a rich mixture of experiences by a diverse collection of civilisations across a vast stretch of time, each with their own set of problems, innovations and achievements. Historical events that the land has experienced inevitably shape it, and as the work takes its form from the land itself it inevitably archives its complicated past. This seems to be translated well in pieces like ‘Land of Fables’ and ‘Bhir (Mound)’ which are a cacophony of violent splashes, squiggly lines, motifs, textures and dynamic shadows.
The works are thus more than just a physical or factual representation of the land or its history memorialised in textbooks, but a deeper investigation into the lives and experiences of the people who lived here and a more grounded understanding of their day to day struggles. It uses the nature of the land, the dirt, rocks, vegetation and landscape to uncover its hidden truths, instead of focusing on impersonal highlights. Titles such as ‘The Divided Land’, ‘The Mysterious Land’, and ‘Memory of the Land’ seem to evidence this.
Through these works the artist is trying to scan a space that holds great value to him, making this an archival exercise of a more intimate nature. In the process he gives various elusive concepts a tangible visual form, such as the idea of memory, history and the mere act of walking. More than that, however, the work is about the artist’s own relationship with his homeland, a subjective reimagining of factual evidences, abstracted to lend a personal flair. It seems to be allowing the land itself to reveal its layers of histories and embedded memories, an exercise in better understanding where we come from and what makes us who we are.
“Enigmatic Spaces” was on display at the Koel Gallery, Karachi from July 4 till July 18, 2017
Published in Dawn, EOS, July 23rd, 2017