PINSTORY, 35mm slide film – Farina Alam

Recently I got a forwarded email from R.M.Naeem who is a teacher and a renowned painter. He was my instructor at NCA in 2003. Although he and I have very different opinions and we don’t agree eye-to-eye on many things, he is one of the few people who don’t read a threat into my ramblings and treats me and my opinions with respect. I’ve also gotten to talk to Naeem Sahab on many occasions about the issues that plague the art market and institutions in Pakistan. He is very prompt and direct in his reply – he acknowledges the politics very strongly and has decided that rather than be affected by it he will do his own lobbying – hence the RM Naeem residency for artists, group shows, talks etc. that include many from his own ‘school of thought’.

Coming back to where I started off – the email. Most recently he shared the photo-album from the show ‘MEIN’ – ‘The Artist and the Self‘, a group show curated by Noorjehan Bilgrami and AmeanJ. The exhibit opens in February at the Koel Gallery Karachi and showcases the work of more than 80 artists! Now that’s an ambitious selection, but apparently the grand size of it is due to the 3rd anniversary of the gallery.

I saw through the album and as is to be expected from such large exhibits there are ALL kinds of works included. Famous artists, not-so-famous artists, great works, bland boring works, experimental works, replicated works… and so on and so forth. I’m including a selection of images here that truly caught my eye and thought I should share them on my blog. Go see the show and tell me how it was!

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The first two images posted here are by print-makers/painters Anwar Saeed and Naazish Ata-ullah (more fondly known as Najji), who also happened to be my tutors for the entire year of 2004. Both Anwar sahab and Najji are showcasing digital works that are quite fascinating. Regarding Najji’s work, you might be interested in checking out an earlier post of mine that discusses nudity and sexuality in contemporary Pakistani art –> Naked – literally & figuratively.

I have seen the video by Amra Khan, stills from which are posted below. It is macabre, nauseating and f***ing brilliant. I don’t know why I loved it but it made me shudder and equally connect at some very demented level. I find Masooma Syed’s work intriguing mainly because I find her intensely intriguing. Her work is complex and intertwined chaotically with her own personal life and often results in some very quirky artwork. Other works posted here are by Amin Gulgee, Mohammad Ali Talpur, Mahreen Zuberi, Saba Khan and finally Iqbal Geoffrey.

And for sheer entertainment value and tongue-in-cheek like no other: Iqbal Geoffrey‘s paseenay-daar Mona Lisa. I don’t quite know what to think of it. But because I like his weird drawings and postcard series I’ll let this one slip by!

See the complete gallery here: MEIN” – ‘The ARTIST AND THE SELF

Koel Gallery – Feb 9-20, 2012.

All images courtesy: Noorjehan Bilgrami @ Koel gallery

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You might also like to read: Pakistani Contemporary Art – A Brief History of Now

• Visit The s.a. Project facebook page for more regular updates
• Join in the discussion at twitter – SairaAnsariPK

A few weeks ago I received a message from a fellow tweeter who wanted to share a write-up she had written for a Pakistani group exhibition that took place in San Francisco late last year. She sent it to a couple of English newspapers and publications in Pakistan who said they’ll look into it but nothing really came out of that.

For me, it is imperative that artists, students and viewers start looking at work and discussing it, voicing their own opinions. There are really no wrong or right opinions, unless they are based on pre-conceived notions of what should be. However, it is important to educate yourself and try to dip your finger in this murky pool! Most importantly, the more people begin to write, the more exposure Pakistani shows and artists will receive, especially those who are less covered or not covered at all in the media.

I’m glad that the writer decided to send it to me and see if I’d put it up. And I was yes yes yes to Guest Write-ups!

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WORKS BY TASMIA & FATIMA - The Blue Studio – Michelle O’Connor Gallery

Tasmia Zahra Hussain (formerly Tasmia Qasuria to her NCA colleagues) – website

Fatima Zaman

Paintings in oils, acrylics & mixed media

By Sehr - @Ricochet118, California

The term ‘Brain Drain’, is commonly used to refer to the exodus of talented and bright young Pakistanis that has been going on for a number of decades. However, what is usually not acknowledged is the fact that this Pakistani Diaspora has been sharing the wealth of its talents and skills within the communities where it has settled. The recognition and promotion of such achievements is becoming more important in the current socio-political climate as the repercussions of increasing paranoia and stereotyping are being manifested in alarming ways. Whenever there is a noticeable contribution made by an individual of Pakistani origin within a community, it is a triumph for the image of Pakistan and Pakistanis.

Two such immensely talented individuals making their mark away from home are Tasmia Zahra Hussain and Fatima Zaman, who currently reside in the United States. These two promising young Pakistani artists are being welcomed into the San Francisco art arena. I had the opportunity to attend the opening of their recent exhibition in San Francisco, titled ‘Works By Tasmia and Fatima’, and later sat down with these enthusiastic young ladies to talk about their art, their experience exhibiting in the US and their aspirations for the future.

Both artists have their own distinctive style of painting and both have completely different exposure to the arts. Tasmia appears to be the more seasoned of the two artists. She graduated with distinction from the National College of Arts in Lahore with a major in Fine Arts and went on to complete her post-baccalaureate from the San Francisco Art Institute.  She already has a presence in Pakistani art circles where she has exhibited her work a couple of times. Her work includes extensive use of floral imagery and natural elements, while her colours remain muted.  Tasmia’s paintings seem to have a slight ethereal quality to them and reflect her introspective nature. She refers to her paintings as ‘concealed pages of her life’. Most of her pieces are untitled and she explains that the reason for this is that her work is very personal and reflective of her experiences and thoughts. However, she prefers each person viewing her work to absorb it based on their own experiences instead of mulling over the basis of her inspiration.

Interestingly, Fatima’s style is in sharp contrast to Tasmia’s. Her color palette is bold and vibrant. Her forms are sharper and more defined. Bold colors, ethnic imagery and repeated use of the female form are characteristics represented in most of her pieces. The use of color and texture in some of her works is breathtaking. Metal jewels and trinkets adorn some of her more ethnic pieces and add a whimsical, almost kinetic quality to her pieces. She creates a lot of mixed media pieces and has also created a few pieces on an unconventional wooden grain canvas.

Fatima has had no formal training in the Arts and she has always been painting as a hobby and painting on a consignment basis in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has also dabbled in other creative ventures such as jewellery designing and has worked at an interior design firm.

During our discussion, Tasmia opines that Fatima’s lack of formal training has probably worked to her advantage as she is not weighed down by the knowledge of the techniques taught in Art school. She can successfully and without hesitation bring her emotions and message to the blank canvas.  Fatima herself states that she is a very passionate person and that her real-life traits of non-conformity and emotional abandon are what are manifested in her work.

Both artists would like to exhibit their work in Pakistan. However, they are currently focusing on firmly establishing themselves in local San Francisco art circles and plan to exhibit their works in galleries around the SF Bay Area. Establishing their name in the international arena is a goal for them and their achievements are a source of pride for Pakistan.

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• You might also like to read: Pakistani Contemporary Art – A Brief History of Now
• Visit The s.a. Project facebook page for more regular updates
• Join in the discussion at twitter – SairaAnsariPK

Much as the little world around it tries everything to make this pregnancy as difficult as possible, the MA (Hons.) Visual Arts at NCA has popped its 11th baby. The Class of 2010-2011 graduated last week, January 2012. This post is long and has many pictures so grab a cuppa chai and take out some time to browse it. 

I might sound like a broken record when I relate the same stories that we suffered when our batch graduated. Space wars, display date dilemmas, nervous breakdowns and respect issues. All fought and sustained on the NCA battle turf. Yet again the show seems to be cowering in the bowels of the far more renowned, far larger and far more elaborate Bachelors thesis. Don’t get me wrong. That happens to be my favourite time of the year too. But at the expense of the glamour kitty, the street urchins really do get the boot. FYI: The Bachelors Thesis is currently on display at NCA. 

The current MA class went through many labour pains despite the tireless efforts put in by a handful of dedicated faculty members. Their thesis dates were shifted around so many times they got dizzy marking their calendars. Tutors were impossible to find and sign on. A preponement nearly gave one or two a heart attack and some considered pulling out and displaying next year instead. A plan to display with the BFA thesis went to the dogs. Yet the show did go on and was displayed in the three Zahoor-ul-Iklhaq galleries, store-room and the Main Courtyard. It was curated by Dr. Atteqa Ali. (They were also asked to pull down their show early on the last exhibit date because the galleries were needed for the BFA work…but no more on that. I’m keeping my bitter pill for me this time.) 

Now to the work, of which I have sadly only seen pictures myself. I was lucky enough to be constantly updated by a few of the students who kept me posted with photographs of artworks in progress and display plans. Because I was unable to experience the works in actuality there is little to what I can say on execution and finesse. NCA theses (BFA/MA) have been making leaps and bounds in their display skills ever since they were rudely pinched in their soft buttocks by the much more savvy students of BNU. Now BNU thesis displays are something to talk about. Some might say its just the amount of exposure – one lacks it, the other overdoses on it. However, a balance of some sorts is being achieved in the last few years. But what NCA students need most to focus on is that a finished artwork and its display context speaks volumes about the artist.

Reading Salman Toor’s review in The Friday Times, it seems that the issue is not with the how the work has been done and executed. After detailed descriptions of the work and a polite sendoff he writes: No work in this show seems to strive towards defying classification itself, towards generating new forms. And this is confirmed when you read the artists’ statements in the slim catalogue for the show. They don’t read much. They think about their work in terms of feeling, but not yet in terms of the starkly lucid art-speak with which art history is being written every day. 

To some extent I agree and disagree with him equally. I too felt that much of the display relied heavily on classic clichés that perhaps become tiresome for the art community that has seen it, been there, printed it and stuck it to their bathroom door. But I do disagree on the last line. I do know that many of them read, and not just cheap fiction. Additionally, just like painting seems to be going IN and OUT of the art scene, contemporary arts have somehow made it criminal to be emotionally vested in art-making. Last it was seen and heard of in the late 80′s.

Stemming from Toor’s comment on no performance star to be seen, I would really like to jump in with my completely opinionated views! Sarah Mumtaz‘s performance piece is bold, brave and her own. It doesn’t stem from another, neither does it have to promise a future. She sits in a sparkling blue dress (disturbingly scanty) and pushes a needle and thread through her stocking-ed legs to sew row upon row of stitches. She talks in a monologue, while recorded conversations between her and a boy play in the background. She keeps repeating to herself  that everything will be ok. The mantra starts slow, builds up in rhythm and volume until she is shrieking and crying. Her entire upper body, arms and facial expressions are agitated, while her limp legs remain silently still. She supports herself with the chair when she gets up, embracing her physical disabilities as what defines her past, present and future. It is intense and has moved many to tears in the internal juries as well as the public performances. It also leaves people feeling extremely uncomfortable and unsure as to how they should react.

Performing Arts (in the field of Arts and not dance/theater), is not a very common medium in our art schools and rarely seen in galleries/exhibition spaces. There is no actual degree in it, and little to none exposure of performing artists. So when I see an artist perform a devastatingly personal and vulnerable piece, even I know when to put my critical pen down and use my hands to clap instead.

But I’m glad that Toor spoke out what he felt and saw. There is very little straightforward talk in reviews these days. Toor has had good international and national exposure working with various artists and galleries and he speaks from his personal experience (that so far has been saved from the famous Lahore politics methinks!) He also made many visual inspiration connections that were obvious - Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq, Rashid Rana, Mehreen Murtaza and Faiza Butt – painfully so, as some of these students have been very unhappy with these labels and the apparent downgrading of their creative process.

The Express Tribune has a rather tame review that titles the entirety of the work under ‘Dark, demented and grotesque’. Read it if you must. It’s about the only other coverage the show got. SO many bones to pick with the writers that seem to be present everywhere but the MA thesis, every year. 

I was given the honour of writing for their catalogue – alongside their tutors/teachers/mentors  Sajjad Kausar (Principal NCA), Murtaza Jafri (Director MA Visual Arts), Saamia Ahmed (Coordinator), Laila Reman (Printmaker/Associate Professor), Dr. Atteqa Ali (Curator/H.O.D Cultural Studies), R.M.Naeem (Painter/Assistant Professor) – and I went off on a little happy rant that was printed here.

I also got to work in detail online with Mohsin of the family picture wall and Maria of the wild-eyed corpulent charcoal ladies. Mizna‘s work took me most by surprise because I had not seen this direction of hers. Trained as a miniature artist, Mizna was experimenting with medium and form from day 1 at the programme (or maybe day 14?) so maybe I should have known she wouldn’t stick to the ordinary. Irfan‘s foray into installation was perhaps expected as he was looking to expand his practice into uncharted territories. However the old TV set of Amra, Sarah and Irfan became too similar as one thought, even if it was not deliberate. Imrana returned to her roots of textile after much fumbling in the programme, Esmaeil worked in his maddening solitude to produce metal sculptural forms that I had seen developing over time, and Rabiya jumped to a whole new level.

But it is how Imrana and Mohsin had trouble merging their textile/graphics background in the MA programme, and Esmaeil his new-found creative freedom in Pakistan, that pointed out some fatal flaws in the current coursework that put these three through some terrible anxiety attacks over the past 2 years….

Aaaaahh there is much, SO much to say. But perhaps I’ll save it for another post.

Presenting the works of 9 contemporary artists, practicing in the field of Visual and Performing Arts, here is the graduating class of MA (Hons.) Visual Arts, NCA.

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–> MORE IMAGES can be seen here at the Public photo album on facebook.

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Visit The s.a. Project facebook page for more regular updates or join me on my adventures on twitter – SairaAnsariPK