They say art reflects life. We live in an era where almost on a daily basis something terrible happens that makes us view existence from a gloomy perspective. It is but natural. Bomb blasts, killings, hate-speeches, hate-publications and many similar happenings have made it difficult for the common man to lead a comfortable life. Artists all over the world have been creating art depicting this particular aspect.
Not many, however, try and rejoice those facets of our daily lives (no matter how few and far between they are) which contain moments of mirth and joy. This is exactly why it filled art lovers with excitement when they heard that the Canvas Gallery was presenting an art exhibition titled, ‘Band, baaja, baaraat’ at Karachi’s Indus Valley School Gallery, recently, whose theme was ‘celebrating life’. And it did not disappoint them.
No less than 40 artists took part in the exhibition which had exhibits ranging from oil-on-canvas paintings to installations to a performance titled, ‘Love marriage’ by artists Amin Gulgee and Saba Iqbal. The performance took many by surprise—pleasant surprise or otherwise is open for debate. Let’s discuss the exhibits first on whom, mostly, artists worked in pairs.
Distinguished artists Nahid Raza and Nabahat Lotia worked on a piece called, ‘Beautiful people’. The effort put into glazed ceramic was a delight to look at because the faces that the two women had made on them gelled well with the subject of the exhibition. Although the viewer could detect the very essential element of melancholy in their work, primarily it was the joyousness of their endeavour that came through with more vigour.
Salman Toor impressed everyone with his ‘Liberty porcelain’ (oil on linen). The painting celebrated life in a distinct manner. The happy faces below a big statue-like figure signified the multiplicity of not just creatures but also of feelings.
Sadaf Naseem’s ‘Pardah’ (acrylic on canvas) seemed to veer away from the topic, yet had the same essential ingredient: life—seen with a different angle. The pardah or veil she drew hinted at a lot of those people who want to enjoy life and cannot do it on their own terms.
Back to the beginning: Gulgee and Iqbal’s performance was of a symbolic nature. It touched on matters such as fertility, consent and physical bond (or the lack of it). If, on the one hand, there was a group of viewers who took interest in the act, on the other hand, it made some mull over it.