Exhibition Review -Komal Tauqeer

The Body, 6 x 3

An art exhibition titled ‘The Body, 6 x 3’ curated by the late Ussman Ghauri was later completed by his dear friend and fellow artist, R.M Naeem. A group of eight artists exhibited their art at a local gallery in Karachi. Their art was means of ‘voicing’ their inner turmoil, anguish and disappointment at the political instability and uncertainty in the country. In spite of the social, economic and political chaos, the artists have tried to depict an attitude of positivity and tolerance which is integral when living in a country as chaos-ridden as Pakistan.

The objective of the show is for the artist as well as the viewers’ is to re-examine and re-evaluate their perspectives and discover their engagement with the human body and how it is affected by external factors such as our surroundings.

All eight artists, Ali Azmat, R.M Naeem, Mehr Afroze, Naveed Sadiq, Saba Khan, Sara Arjumand, Irfan Gul and Waseem Ahmed have tried to convey tolerance and the need for a strong bond between people and the environment they live in. A happy, peaceful environment gives rise to positive thinking in people, a sense of calmness and joy which is necessary given the insecurity and fear we live in on a daily basis.

An interesting aspect of the exhibition was the play on words in the title ‘The Body, 6 x 3’. Each artist, irrespective of medium, style and technique, had to work on a tcanvas which was 6 x 3 feet and a miniature version of the same painting was created in 6 x 3 inches. Interestingly, 6 x 3 is also the size of a Muslim grave, this was possibly a source of inspiration as the chaos and disorder we are living in results in death and destruction of our fellow citizens on a daily basis.

Artists have made use of various materials, ranging from acrylic, oil, artificial pearls, fabric, metal frames, crystals to name a few. It is exciting that even though all eight artists were working under/with the same concept, each has come up with something new, exciting and equally thought provoking.

Ali Azmat, who titled his work as ‘Let a thousand flowers bloom’ has taken inspiration from the children of our country, who are the future of tomorrow, but are suffering because of the disorder in our country and this is undoubtedly having a negative impact on their young, impressionable minds. Not only is this influencing our children, but the youth of country is also fast growing disgruntled and frustrated by the state of affairs. Ali’s wants that our children be given the opportunity to ‘bloom’ and flourish like other children around the world. Ali’s larger canvas presents a powerful image, which is disturbing but at the same time thought provoking. Ali successfully manages to make one think about the state of our country and the fate of our future generations.

R. M Naeem’s work is the culmination of fury and rage at our country’s inability to establish law and order. Instead he sees Pakistan and being stuck in a vicious cycle of lawlessness and turmoil. His work ‘Today’ is the result of the fury and helplessness that has risen inside of him because of our country’s socio-political situation.

Sana Arjumand work ‘Him and me in divine union on the first sky’ was inspired by the concept that woman was originally made from the ‘rib of man’ and using this imagery Sana was driven to paint the image of herself as a ‘rib’ on her husbands side. It is deeply symbolic of the fact that a woman is an extension of man and both our co-dependent on each other and should live in harmony and contentment. It made the viewer think about the disorder in the country which has made men and women turn against each other based on ethnicity, race and political groupings.

For Naveed Sadiq, this exhibition was an ‘exhilarating’ experience because of the sheer size of the canvas. Naveed made use of contemporary medium, acrylic, on a non-miniature surface which is unusual for him, but found the process to be cathartic and a form of ‘meditation’. “During this process I felt I could delve into the depth of a better understanding of things that surround me. Repetition along with things moving on multiple levels helped me revisit myself.”

Powerful, interesting and thought provoking art work which undoubtedly makes the viewer question his/her surroundings. Deeply symbolic and extremely meaningful, this exhibition made one hope for a better, a more peaceful tomorrow.