In art, the struggle between ethics and aesthetics is an ongoing one. With her new body of work, Tazeen Qayyum uses both forces in a complementary manner, both commenting on and questioning the global problem of fear of the ‘other’. An exhibition of her work titled ‘(IN)SURGE(NT)’, curated by Zarmeene Shah, opened at the Canvas Art Gallery, Karachi, recently. Globalisation, social and political, has advanced from transcending former ideologies to disproving them. With operations against insurgency in full force globally, Qayyum investigates the repercussions of war by navigating this ever-changing landscape with skill, eliciting caution and warning.

The idea for this show surfaced in 2009 when Zarmeene came across Qayyum’s work ‘Poisonous if inhaled’ — a diptych that provides the central theme for the show. Using opaque watercolour and coloured tape on digital print and wasli, Qayyum creates a web of brightly coloured tunnels over the image of a densely built urban area. Painted at the beginning and end of these tunnels are Qayyum’s characteristic cockroaches.

“The metaphor of the cockroach entered Qayyum’s work in 2002, addressing issues of human rights violations and the value assigned to human life, and has since evolved and expanded, encompassing notions of the shifting roles between aggressor and victim, of perceived threats and real threats,” writes Zarmeene.

Tazeen Qayyum probes the repercussions of war in her show

The viewer looks down on the urban jungle from an aerial perspective, like an intruder looking in, observing a safe distance away from the ensuing action — much like how modern wars are waged. The photographic print itself is a digitised image, a satellite generated reconstruction of pixels. The end result — eerie and uncomfortable; it is hard to shake off the feeling that we are being constantly monitored. The feeling of unease is reinforced upon realisation that these “tunnels”, as Qayyum had shown them to be, form our metaphoric foundation, our very lives are built upon them. Reminiscent of a subway map, these tunnels are also deliberate and planned. Whether by our choice or not, foreign ideas and induced fears have permeated through our lives, working their way from the ground up.

Harmful if swallowed

Through her paintings and three-dimensional works, in particular the four site-specific installations, Qayyum proves the creative potency of calculated, sequential patterns, along the walls and ground. The pay-off is philosophical indeed, giving concrete reference to abstract thought on meanings of fear and resulting annihilation. ‘A Holding Pattern’, where equal-sized, laser cut, red cockroaches cover the four white walls of a room, successfully creates the claustrophobic effect of being surrounded and taken over. The sheer number of cockroaches and monotony created by the pattern is strenuously theatrical and weirdly political.

The featured painted works reinforce this idea. Following a pattern, either circular or lateral, the paintings creatively convey the multifaceted qualities of human nature: the insular and the open, the individuality and the similarities, the leaders and the followers. The work ‘We are all the same’ captures these qualities particularly well.

This is a show that needs to be looked at holistically if it is to be understood. Qayyum’s authenticity is unquestionable. She throws weight behind the finely calibrated hint of protest and warning. People and things — traditions, nations, ideologies — are all altered through history. Qayyum’s nod to the future is a sinister one, but also an important one that we all must keep in mind moving ahead.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 3rd, 2015

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