A portrayal of time, identity and tradition

art

Identity is an enormous part of an individual; it represents their past, present and future. It shapes their before and after. The exploration of identity is natural to human beings from the beginning of time and is still a re-occurring phenomenon. The exploration of oneself, their existence, their own personal distinctiveness is an endless journey that every individual takes. Recently, Koel Gallery hosted an art exhibition, ‘The Endless Journey’ in Karachi. The name ‘The Endless Journey’ conforms well to the art exhibition and the message behind it. The art display consisted of three different artists with their own unique, contrasting pieces. The art by various different artists examined the complexities of identity-making, time and tradition. You! takes a look…

Of geometric stars

Adeela Shah is a Karachi based visual practitioner and an academician. She has received her Bachelors in Fine Arts from the National College of Arts, a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Karachi and an M Phil degree from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, where she is now an Assistant Professor. Her practice-led research examines the complexities of identity-making, which are politicised by nation building and enforced societal narratives that erase many relevant geometries of interconnected relations. “My research explores the word ‘identity’ as a product of several affiliations that span multiple time periods, whether it is for a person, place or an art practice,” defined Adeela. She used mediums and materials relevant to her research, to construct geometric stars through collage-making.

This gave her practice to seeing differences within familiar visuals. “Collage making helps me to physically and mentally practice inclusivity and appreciate every dot that creates stars of togetherness,” elucidated Adeela. Similar to geometric stars, history too has a geometry of interconnections which records the politics of surveillance and representation. These connections have the ability to alter perceptions of the past and construct new visions and affiliations for the future. “The combination of geometry and collages reveal multiple perspectives and complements my area of research because a star is created through several affiliations, layers and pieces that are remembered and recognised. I acknowledge the inherent intermingled-ness and recognise my collateral relations within the collaborative spaces of family and society,” shared Adeela.

Different strokes

Babar Sheikh is a filmmaker, multimedia artist, musician, and educator who graduated from the Department of Communication Design in 1999 and completed his M Phil in Art & Design from the IVS (Indus Valley) in 2023. He has been studying the shifts in the urban environment through personal narratives of artists, musicians, devotees, and dwellers of the city with a keen interest in life’s changing patterns. With his archival, exploration, and documentation work, he tries to accentuate relationships between people, places, and memories.

His film narratives are centred on urbanism and devotion and how they shape living cultures. An amalgamation of visuals and reflections that explore devotion, tradition, and faith preserved within the physical and spiritual framework of Karachi’s dargahs, khanqahs, and astanas. How these sacred spaces have stood the test of time in preserving tradition and the essence of spirituality. It engages in a film narrative true to his roots as a filmmaker and explores meanings of Islamic mysticism: Tassawwuf. The pirs and the Islamic calligraphy from video stills capture the essence of tradition and modernity corresponding to Pakistan’s culture in relation to religion. The feel of capturing a moving moment, creating it to be motionless emulates the feel as if the viewer were present in that time, when the art was produced.

Gendered time

Quratulain Qamar Choudary is a multidisciplinary visual artist, photographer, and educator who was born and raised in Pakistan. She received her Postgraduate degree, M Phil in Art and Design with a distinction from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2023, and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the same institution. Quratulain has been teaching drawing, design, drafting and mentoring younger artists since 2015, and have also channelled her artistic inspiration into designing wearable art pieces using old clock-parts and mechanisms inspired from the clock installations that have figured prominently in her visual work. “Time has been an integral part of my art practice,” she described. The notion of time intricately weaves through her artistic endeavours. Her personal journey unveiled the complexities of gendered labour and time, expanding her perspective on these social aspects and facets, “Navigating transformations and challenges as a woman and a practicing artist allowed me to perceive my personal experiences as reflections of socio-economic issues and realities,” she explained.

Her recent research delves into women’s leisure, the accountability of lost and wasted time and the idea of being unproductive, with a particular focus on South-Asian women. “The dimensions of my work, ‘Gendered Time’, became more apparent and my research examined deeper into formulating, dissecting and examining this idea. This project explores important theories and ideas that emerged from understanding this concept, with a particular focus on women’s leisure moments, accountability for lost and wasted time, and feeling of guilt for being unproductive,” Quratulain illuminated the audience with her thought process. The focal point to her one-of-a-kind art pieces is women and time, mystifying yet pellucid. Unique yet common which made the composition eccentric and thought provoking, portraying their message to the viewer in an idiosyncratic manner.