Growing up in Shireen Jinnah Colony was an education in itself for Abdul Muhammad. He left formal school after his father passed away and his mother struggled to make ends meet for a full house.

Life was tough, and it taught many lessons.

The family raised goats and chickens to sell milk, cheese and eggs to the neighbours. Household responsibilities were divided between siblings and Abdul volunteered to take care of the animals. He loved animals. He was also entrusted with the task of bringing firewood home.

The love of animals and art turned a young canteen worker into a printmaking prodigy

“There was no natural gas in the house. I used to go out and look for firewood to cook food,” he says.

It was a random late afternoon and 10-year-old Abdul was looking for firewood near the colony, in the area around Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA), when he came across two students.

“They were photographing the bushes or something. They asked me if they could take my picture. I hesitated because I thought they will print it in the newspaper,” he recalls.

After being assured that it was an only an art assignment, he agreed to be photographed with his bundle of wood.

This was his first encounter with the art school.

Abdul doesn’t remember who pulled what strings, but he was hired as the “chhotoo” for the school’s canteen. The pay was humble, but the tips ample. Plus, he loved being around all the art.

“This is a weird but wonderful place,” he says speaking of the campus. “I have learnt a lot here. Shireen Jinnah Colony and [IVSAA] are worlds apart. It is a completely different culture, but the people are really nice,” he says.

He quickly became popular on the campus for his good humour and hard work. When he wasn’t cleaning the tables, he was making tea. When he wasn’t making tea, he was learning to make sandwiches — an art he perfected in the next several years and gained many fans on campus for his culinary treats.

According to Abdul, he was enthralled by the school’s creative energy. Being Chhotoo for everyone meant he had lots of friends and he could learn something from each one of them. “IVSAA became my second home. I only went home to sleep and would come back the next day as early as possible,” he says.

But six years into the job, he was abruptly laid off by the canteen manager.

SERENDIPITY

“I had never taken a day off from work but then I fell sick and had to take leave. When I came back, I was told I had been replaced,” Abdul explains. He tried to convince the manager to rehire him but to no avail. Abdul was devastated.

“I was crying as I made my way to the gate. I knew nothing beyond [IVSAA]. I didn’t know where to go [from here].”

By chance, he bumped into a professor of fine arts, just as he was stepping out. Adeela Suleman had known Abdul ever since he stepped on campus. She made sure he was hired as a technical assistant in the fine arts studio. She, along with other faculty members, taught him printmaking techniques.

“Abdul was eager to learn. He is honest and very hardworking. He has an imaginative mind and a creative instinct,” says Suleman.

At first, the studio seemed dull to young Abdul compared to his work at the canteen. But then he started observing the work done by students and gradually became more involved.

“One day, just like that, I decided to make a collagraph,” he recalls.

Collagraph is a printmaking technique in which materials are applied to a rigid surface and ink is applied on the materials to take an impression on paper or any other material.

Abdul used sugar grains and tea bags to take the first impression. Encouraged by the experiment, he continued trying out different techniques.

“I kept experimenting. I took a small woodcut plate and made a small fish swimming in water.”

Faculty members started noticing his work. The first day a colleague asked him if she could buy some of his prints Abdul was pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t know the work could be sold. I was just doing it because I loved it.”

Demand for his artwork grew with every set of prints he produced. Some of his later work was shortlisted for the 6th Gaunlan International Print Biennial in China last year and he also exhibited his work in a successful group show at Koel Gallery later the same year.

And then, early this month came his first solo show.

MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS

Abdul found inspiration in his animals for the exhibition.

“There is very little difference between animals and humans,” he says. “I like animals more than I like people actually,” he chuckles.

The show titled My Family And Other Animals, after the book by Gerald Durell, opened on March 8, 2018 at Full Circle Gallery in Karachi.

It showcased woodcut on paper portraying goats, chickens and cats which Abdul has raised ever since he was a young boy. Intriguingly, each print is named after an IVSAA colleague.

Curator Scheherezade Junejo says: “He has drawn parallels between the animals he lives with at home and the people he works with at Indus. For him, the love he feels for his animals at home is the same love he feels for the administration and faculty at IVSAA.”

Abdul’s love for animals and his arts family is evident in every print. His mark-making is precise and he has managed to create some very engaging compositions in monochrome.

On the opening of his show, dressed in black, he looks around the gallery as people admire his work. “I am humbled, sad and happy at the same time. Sad because I am recalling what I was, happy because they like my work, and humbled at where God has brought me,” he says overcome with emotion.

His IVSAA family is thrilled to see his work. “I think he should keep working. If he keeps printing consistently for five to seven years, he can land some really big shows. I am hoping even before that,” says Junejo.

Junejo has faith in Abdul and thinks his determination and talent will take him far. “I believe in his skill and his dedication. I am a believer.”

Sarah Alvi is an independent journalist, filmmaker and visual artist.
She tweets @sarah_alvi

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 25th, 2018