Nowadays, an established, widely exhibited sculptor, he comes forward with a collaborative venture VADA comprising a collection of designer furniture shown recently at Canvas, Karachi. Talking about this new development, he sheds light on the shift and how it reflects on his art practice.

You have made your mark as a sculptor. How do you define this new direction of crafting designer furniture instead of conceptual works?

First of all I would like to clarify that I consider myself an artist even though I am known as a sculptor. I have had a number of solo exhibitions as a painter and my forthcoming show also comprises paintings only. Besides sculpture, I studied Design for three years at the NCA but did not present my thesis otherwise I would have had a degree of a professional designer as well. During my NCA tenure I also undertook varied works like stage and float designing and handled my own modest advertising agency.

The second important factor is that this show is not my individual work. It is in collaboration with my younger brother, Abdul Sattar ,who graduated in Communication Design from the Indus Valley School.

Regarding my role as a furniture designer I would like to emphasise that this aspect does not compromise my art practice as a sculptor and painter. Normally what you see in our furniture industry is badly copied work with designs lifted from here and there. If my art background enables me to conceive original designs and bring a high level of craftsmanship to the furniture objects then there is nothing wrong in that—and this adds another dimension to my range of work.

What is VADA and how are you adapting it to your new sensibility as a contemporary furniture designer?

The word VADA means carpenter in Sindhi. For generations our ancestors have worked professionally with wood and metal, and to this day, many of our kinsmen continue this tradition, working in this field.

We are involved in this legacy but with a contemporary style, and are setting up workshops in Mirpurkhas and Karachi. Other than innovative design and craftsmanship, we are also concerned with practical matters. Since we are familiar with the elements and qualities of the materials we use, we are proud to offer objects that will last for the following reasons.

We are working with seasoned wood, mostly in 'Sheesham' and use pure core wood which is dark and solid. We do not use Sap wood which is white and weak and is very easily affected by termites. Even our glue for joints is resin based Epoxy, which is stronger than the ordinary brands. Another 'signature' element of our work is the brass nails which unlike iron nails will not rust with age. For artistic reasons, we also use brass for inlay work which adds a special quality to our furniture.

Our future plans include the repair and restoration of furniture, working in coordination with other artist's designs, and creating furniture out of wood specified by clients.

Is this shift towards crafting utility ware a better economic proposition? Does this mean sculpture is not a viable medium financially?

Not at all ... I feel blessed that my work is always admired both at the intellectual level and in terms of sales. Most of the prominent collectors have my work in their collections and it should not be considered that this new venture is more viable financially. I am still focused on my art work and have quite a few exhibitions in the pipeline.

Why are you exhibiting in an 'art' gallery rather than a furniture showroom? Is it because of the aesthetic merits of the work—if so, then what are they?

We have opened our outlet and our first collection was inaugurated there for which we received an extremely good response. That reputed galleries like Canvas have invited us to show our work at their premises is not just an honour for us but also an indicator that there is definitely something worthy and original about our work. As for aesthetic merits—originality and quality are our best assets.