Over the decades, the project of defining art has received much attention in Western artistic and scholarly circles. In his essay, ‘But they don’t have our concept of art’, Denis Dutton points out that various Western scholars and writers make a mistake when describing works of art that are either different or don’t adhere to the normative understanding of art.

According to Dutton, writers, just like anthropologists, require “a complete break with aesthetics” when critiquing a work of art that is off the usual track — instead of alienating such art forms one could look for similarities for better assimilation and wider understanding of art.

Additionally post-modernity has opened debates about high and low art, narrowing the gap between the two. It promotes possibilities of new methods of creating art, new ways of looking, reading and interacting with it.

It is crucial to read the work of the exhibiting artists in comparison with some of the contemporary works of art produced in this country

In his curatorial note of an art exhibition titled ‘Highlight’ held at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi, Mohammad Ali Talpur separates the four participating artists from those who have made their mark as contemporary Pakistani artists and who have access to galleries in national and international art market.

Karachi street, Jamil Afridi

The curator further extrapolates that some artists follow their own rhythm and “don’t go along with the flow of time”. Talpur seems to be alluding to the art world’s rat race in which some artists are either left behind or have not strove to make an impression, at least not as yet.

While it is important to understand the work of the participant artists, Abdul Fatah Halepoto, Jamil Afridi, Najeeb Rashdi, Ronaque Ali Bhurgri, in context of their circumstances, it is also crucial to read their work in comparison with some of the contemporary works of art produced in this country. In the latter context, and with the understanding of Dutton’s point of view, one can perhaps find more similarities than differences.

Halepoto’s role in disseminating art through its education in Sindh is seminal. He is a teacher, a mentor and a friend for numerous artists in the province, encouraging them to further their studies in art schools for formal training. Some of them have gained considerable acclaim in the art world, Talpur being one of them. A proponent of promoting Sindh’s culture, Halepoto does not intellectualise his work and depicts what he sees. He paints rural landscapes, displaying his mastery in oil paint, watercolour and pastel.

Pink chair, Najeeb Rashdi

Upon entering the gallery one faces Afridi’s installation of cityscapes. This installation is quite striking and transports a viewer to settings in various cities, towns and villages of the country. However, the three paintings on the other wall intriguingly capture a viewer’s imagination, as men engage in some form of a pastime, playing chess, snooker, etc., in spaces that are deliberately distorted. With a background in design, Afridi has returned to painting in the last few years. Of the two younger artists, Bhurgri contributed 14 meticulous observational drawings in pencil of various sizes. His naturalistic representations include a broken brick wall corner, a door, a pile of dried leaves and other such sights that one passes by everyday but hardly ever stops to take a close look at.

On the other hand, Rashdi has produced several painted canvasses. With traces of abstraction in Afridi’s paintings, Rashdi is the only artist who has explored abstract depictions. The most interesting painting is that of a child-like rendition of an interior space with a pink chair, a woman and a fan.

Drawing-11, Ronaque Ali Bhurgri

The mere act of producing art, especially at places where there are no art schools, galleries and museums but a richness of subject matter, literature, landscape, culture etc., helps to continue various trajectories of visual art as these artists inevitably become a source of encouragement for others. With the highlight on these four artists, it will be interesting to see the directions they explore in their future works.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 24th, 2015

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