In the crowd of titillating, marketable shows, subtle, understated exhibitions like ‘Rupture/rapture’ at VM Art gallery, Karachi, can easily go unnoticed because their layered premise fails to excite the passive viewer looking for instant entertainment. As curator, Sumbul Khan has brought into play vastly diverse art practices of Moeen Faruqi, Nameera Ahmed, Noon Meem Rashid and Yousaf Kerai to imply aspects of rupture and rapture. The challenge is in viewing the works independently as well as collectively to configure the nuanced readings and then weave them into a composite statement.

Minus visual appeal, but very hard hitting as a textual message, progressive poets Rashid’s poem, Zindagi se darte ho anchors the show by giving it a context—without it the exhibition would have lost its centrality. It takes “Courage to know” and he speaks of psychological ruptures that can eventually lead to rapture. The poem urges man to confront his inner conflicts and brave reality with the conviction that

Lab agar nahi hilte... haath jaag uthte hain Haath jaag uthte hain raah kaa nishaan ban kar Nur ki zuban ban kar Haath bol uthte hain subah ki azaan ban kar Roshni se darte ho Roshni to tum bhi ho, roshni to ham bhi hain.

Those familiar with the work of noted modernist Faruqi will realise that it is not possible to disassociate his painting from his very pronounced art practice. His edgy portrayal of urban alienation and cultural estrangement in a figurative narration has long tantalised viewers who identified with the loneliness and bittersweet ironies implied in his story paintings. Having stated this stance many times over, Faruqi has now taken the plunge to surface on another level altogether. In the untitled work shown at VM his characteristic loud chromatics collide and jostle in delightfully abstract rhythms (think Joan Miro and Ferdnand Legar). Revelling in the change of idiom this act spells a rupture/ rapture moment for Faruqi, but also enunciates a deeper descent into self. Resisting disclosure the new vocabulary marks further isolation from reality or ability to confront it.

Enjoying a deep rooted existence as an independent genre, classical music has yet to be explored extensively as an art exhibition fixture. An audio recording of a tabla recital by Kerai in close proximity to Faruqi’s painting synchronises well with the abstract somersaults that Faruqi has indulged in. Translating as a jugal bandi of sorts this art/music fusion enacts its own rupture-rapture equation. Introduced to Indian classical music at the age of eight Kerai was accepted as a student of the tabla maestro, Ustad Khurshid Hussain of Karachi at the age of 16. He learned to sing and play the harmonium under the tutelage of the late Master Babu Khan. Kerai graduated from Bennington College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2005 followed by a master’s degree in teaching mathematics in 2006. He is now Khurshid Sahib’s senior disciple and accompanies him in conducting tabla classes.

An intimate video of chicken slaughter at a poultry unit by Ahmed, succinctly titled ‘Bloody birds’, is an in-your-face commentary on hygiene violation and primitive butchery practices. Her statement declares, “This video artwork is a continuation of my previous works on the theme of ‘the aesthetics of pollution’ where I forced the viewer to look at things we normally turn our faces away from.” This urge to mirror detritus of our own creation as a corrective measure qualifies her as a ‘Rupture/ rapture’ candidate in the show. Ahmed is a Karachi-based visual artist and filmmaker. She has a master’s in visual arts and visual communication design from Istanbul, Turkey.

As a curator Khan has cut through the frills and gone straight to the core of rupture and rapture, but her exercise is complex and disparate if it is not viewed within the challenging perspective of aagahi se darte ho. Artists do not create in a vacuum; they are indisputably connected to the society and times in which they work—they can realise aesthetic triumphs while ignoring society, but wilful unconcern regarding social matters is also a political position. The show is realistic as it suggests varying sensibilities and approaches, but ultimately it is the end message of overcoming one’s fears that can best counter the current chaos, confusion and apathy.