Of blood and progress — a riveting 70s exhibit

Karachi

Taking a look at western history, one comes across the decade called the 'Roaring 20s', which alludes to the 1920s period after World War I and before World War II.

Although not as grand as the west, the 1970s decade in Pakistani history bears quite a resemblance to the period, particularly in the manner in which it led to a boom before the destructive times that followed played out before the world.

Putting the 1970s on the forefront through an exhibition - ‘The 70s: Pakistan’s Radioactive Decade’ that ended on Sunday - curators Amin Gulgee and Nilofer Farrukh brought together artists who have witnessed the decade, as well as those who have faded memories of the times, to present a vantage point view of the tumultuous era.

With paintings, as well as multiple installations, the show included 40 artists who portrayed their interpretation of the 70s — both perturbing and fascinating.

With the realisation that the onset of 70s brought about the time when East Pakistan got freedom after a bloodbath, the artists didn’t look away from the gory history and made installations depicting longing, loss and agony.

Adeela Sulaiman’s installation ‘Dance in Your Blood’ which showed red disco lights was one such ironical reference to the war: “I was questioning the 70s in the sense of 1971 war and so many people were killed, so I wondered how can a nation culturally thrive after killing so many?”  

She added that the era however did give liberty; and people could be as religious or liberal in their thought process.

Jamil Dehlavi, a noted filmmaker had an installation ‘Zuljinaah’ on display from ‘The Blood of Hussain’, a film about a tyrant that was banned during the regime of Ziaul Haq. With the era culminating on Ziaul Haq, many pieces also questioned the long decade that followed and radicalised the future generations. 

A tank laden with flowers also caught the eye of many as did various ongoing videos about the era which is known for liberty and promotion of arts and culture.  

According to Amin Gulgee, the show took nine months to be executed and given that the era was incredible, it was interesting to see how it affected the artists who were young during the time while for others it remained a myth.

The exhibition also had performing artists who stood draped in a bridal dress, in a sari with a rifle on shoulder, or just as young comrades moving about. 

The title of the show ‘Radioactive 70s’ also had an uncanny sense of allusion to a decade which was indeed bursting with life and yet had a literal meaning to it with echoes of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who initiated the nuclear program in the same decade.