It is often said that if Western art of the 1980s could be epitomised by any one technique or practice — it would be appropriation. The intentional borrowing, copying and alteration of iconic images — a strategy that has been used by artists for a millennia — took a new significance in the mid-20th century. It became more popular in America and Britain with the rise of consumerism and proliferation of popular images through mass media.

Pakistani artists took to appropriation in the early millennial years. Artistry now lies not just in altering and recreating but in the artist’s ingenuity in reusing works to reveal or transmit social or political messages. Images and elements of culture that have been appropriated commonly involve famous and recognisable works of art, well-known literature and easily accessible images from the media.

In a recent show at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi — “Emperor’s Real Clothes” — artist Mohammed Ali utilised this technique to lampoon prevalent social behaviour. The title is somewhat elusive but his witty innovations of idolised figures were playful potshots at prevailing cultural traits. ‘Mona Lisa’ — amongst the most widely reinterpreted Renaissance paintings — is reimagined / repainted by Ali as a junk food enthusiast. Whilst still retaining the shy demeanour of Leonardo’s muse, surrounded by pizza and Pepsi, the lady ponders whether to consume the cheesy wedge in her hand or to refrain. Foisting a foodie sensibility onto a classic beauty is a comical destabilisation of an icon and a satirical comment on fast food and overindulgence.

Mohammed Ali uses appropriation to highlight contemporary realities

Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portraits and his canvas ‘Starry night’ are among the most recognised and treasured paintings in the world. They are also the basis of some killer parodies. Coupling a young dreamy-eyed Noor Jehan with a grave, grim faced Van Gogh in an ‘Achi se aik gari’ is how Ali plays on the wonder of ‘opposites attract’—unfortunately both protagonists seem to be lost in their own world. It is a seemingly entertaining visual but not fully resolved.

‘The girl with a pearl earring’, a famous Vermeer painting, is not just the subject of a popular book and a movie but several spoofs as well. In Ali’s painting, dressed as a bride with a dupatta behind her hijab, she is shown retorting — ‘What’s love got to do with it.’

Relocating characters from Western museum / biblical paintings into contemporary domestic environments, the artist reveals consumerist excesses, desires and extravagances in a light-hearted vein. He opts for tongue-in-cheek repartee with an emphasis on amusing and entertaining. At this stage of his career this is an underutilisation of his skills. He should move ahead. A 2010 Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture graduate, Ali was essentially a child artist who has devoted a considerable number of years to honing his painterly abilities. He has the skills to reproduce and the dare to stage theatrical tableaux on canvas.

In his 2011 exhibition, “Condolence Theatre”, he recounted the history of Karbala by appropriating Passion Plays associated with the Christian theatrical tradition and from the Shia Iranian performance event — Ta’ziyeh. Dramatically rendered grave social issues were not just intense and impactful but had a far greater element of

originality and invention to them. Today, appropriating and remixing is common practice for visual media artists, yet such strategies continue to challenge traditional notions of originality and test the boundaries of what it means to be an artist.

“Emperors Real Clothes” was held at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi from October 18 to October 27, 2016.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 6th, 2016