The Symbolic Dialogues opens
Peerzada Salman
KARACHI: All art, genuine art that is, carries autobiographical elements that the artists wish to, wittingly or unwittingly, communicate to others. More often than not, these elements are born out of personal predicament(s). If the artists’ expression is effective enough to convey their message to their target audience, it serves as a cathartic agent and makes others empathise in a way that it leads to their self-discovery. The collaborative project by Attiya Shaukat and Shoaib Mehmood titled ‘The Symbolic Dialogues’, opened on Tuesday at the Canvas Gallery, is a fine example of how art that stems from personal experiences can be dealt with on an impersonal level.
Both are NCA graduates. While Mr Mehmood studies cultural history and likes to juxtapose it with present-day trends, Ms Shaukat, a few years back during her final thesis, had a terrible accident because of which she broke her spine. She became immobile and could only see her feet instead of moving them. Her brilliant work in the exhibition is reflective of how she viewed life, and still does, from that perspective.
There are 10 exhibits which have been individually made by both artists whereas eight are a result of a collaboration between the two (hence the dialogue bit). Ms Shaukat’s first piece is called ‘Structure’ (silver & gouache on wasli). It sets the tone, in a manner of speaking, for the rest of the display. The structure that the artist is referring to gives off a straitjacket feeling. Her art becomes more poignant with ‘Anti-Clockwise’ (silver, thread printing and gouache on wasli) as she touches on the cruelties and irreversibility of time.
Mr Memhood places together two time periods with traditionally-clad individuals facing persons dabbling in a modern-day sport. The marked feature of his work is that when he makes men from different time zones, the viewer can differentiate between them not just by the distinct settings (thereby scrutinizing the progression or regression of time) but also by their postures.
With the joint work, the themes of the two artists merge and yet do not become one, despite the subtlety involved. ‘Sitting 1’ (gouache on digital print) indicates the beginning of the confab that took place among the artists and their crafts. By the time it reaches the last exhibit ‘Sitting 11, 12, 13, & 14’ (tea wash, silver & gouache on wasli) the dialogue has not finished. And that’s, perhaps, what the artists want to achieve: the continuation of the dialogue.
The exhibition will continue till Feb 2.
Source: Dawn
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