In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato eloquently presents the effect of education, or the lack thereof, on human nature. Plato likens the ignorant to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads, only ever looking forward. All they see is the wall of the cave; behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet, along which puppeteers can walk.

The puppeteers, who are behind the prisoners, hold up puppets that cast shadows on the wall of the cave. The prisoners, unable to see these puppets behind them, mistake the shadows they cast for real objects. To them, this illusion is reality because they have only ever lived their lives in a cave, facing one direction. Dr Adil Akhtar uses this metaphor of The Cave as the central theme for his exhibition “E-31” which opened at the Commune Artist Colony, Karachi, recently.

Dr Adil Akhtar believes that no matter where you come from, you need to dream big

Hope and education, Dr Akhtar says, are what elevate a person and improve the human condition. Growing up in house E-31 in Karachi University’s E type housing accommodation (A being the highest and E the lowest), he became aware of socio-economic inequality from a very young age. He was surrounded by a paradox in his early life: Karachi University was one of the most forward thinking, sophisticated seats of knowledge in the entire country, but his accommodation, a part of the University, could not be more different from the ideals of a progressive institution.

Expressed almost exclusively in black ink, pencil and charcoal, contradictions and confusion are evoked in the static, painterly strokes, the heavy-handed, obscure calligraphy, and the layering of media, correlating indeed to the complex nature of the work.

The work almost seemed to come from the artist’s sketchbook — not because they seemed unfinished; in fact, each piece was incredibly resolved. The very honest, unfiltered quality of the art is what gave this impression. The complexity of the idea behind each piece was prioritised against stylistic and compositional choices.

An oncologist by profession, The Commune seemed a very fitting place for Dr Akhtar to exhibit his work. Founded in 2006 by Yousuf Bashir Qureshi as a place for artists and creative people with varied interests to come together, the venue respected Adil Akhtar the artist and the doctor, featuring both sides of his life.

The largest piece at the exhibition depicted medical sketches of body parts showing each of our senses.

Drawings of organs were then intermingled with words like “Buhot Ghutan hai!” (Can’t Breath!), giving the piece a new meaning. An eye depicting blindness or an ear depicting deafness suggested social and political ignorance. Three drawings of an eye with a varying sized pupil depicted a person afraid, a person inebriated, induced in a stupor.

The show included an installation where viewers were handed books and pencils to throw into a fire. This installation, titled ‘Dark ages 2.0’ is a symbolic representation of what society is doing to itself. The show however, ended on a positive note. After the interactive installation, everyone was directed to make their way to view a mural that Dr Akhtar had painted on the outside wall of the venue, featuring his characteristic, stylised figures, above whom is a golden window. The figures were painted using solid colours, some bright, some dull, but all united and confidently standing together. All they must do is look up to see a host of possibilities. The show was curated by Sarah Bakhtiyar.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 12th, 2015

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