KARACHI: The word ‘selection’ in recent times has assumed political connotations. There’s a reason for it: it smacks of deliberateness. It does not necessarily have negative implications, but once it is substituted for a blatant lack of merit, only then it gains unsavoury currency. Artist Fatima Munir has employed the term in an exhibition of her latest body of artworks as Unnatural Selection that is under way at the Canvas Art Gallery. There is no overt political angle to the title. However, the subject of the show has elements that hint at external societal factors impinging upon the personal growth of an individual –– in an unnatural way.

Here’s how the artist describes the idea: “My practice has continuously been on the sociopolitical and how it directly affects my life. I have most often projected my reactions through interventions on found objects and have repeatedly drawn attention to my subject of interest via patterns.”

Notice the subtle emphasis on ‘found objects’. This is intriguing. Now an object is an inanimate, tangible thing. What it is getting affected by it is a living being with emotions and feelings that are intangible. One could call it a dichotomy that no human being can escape. Those who get the hang of it and absorb it, namely the members of the artist community, try to extract meaning out of it –– which is what Fatima is doing.

All of her artworks on view are untitled, and all of them have floral patterns. The other crucial aspect that is hard to miss is the diptychs or the accompanied pieces that are presenting a counterpoint, if you like, to the colourful flower(s) in the shape of a contrasting sketch or a different look. Why is that important?

Fatima explains in her statement, “My work has evolved to represent the weight of expectations placed on a woman by society; a burden she is expected to carry while maintaining the composure of a wallflower … the world may be taking small but steady steps forward in the fight for women’s rights, yet even in privileged circles, such as the one I belong to (Karachi, Pakistan), a strong independent woman with thoughts, ideas and a voice is not a man’s equal. …”

One cannot disagree with the artist, and has to acknowledge her candour. Although the role of patriarchy over the centuries has now come under severe scrutiny, and rightly so, there is much more to do to rectify or set things straight. Fatima has chosen the route of creativity. It is most effective when creative expression is lucid and communicable for the viewer. The artist has done that by using a variety of media (pigment on paper, pencil on paper and mixed media collage) without making it come across as a simple message shrouded in complex artistic mystery. As a result, she succeeds in saying what she wants to say in a medium that allows her to flourish … just as her art.

The show concludes on Oct 31.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2019