KARACHI: Artists treat time with delightful abandon. This means, for them, particularly when dealing with issues related to sentient beings, all periods in history are inextricably connected — so much so that sometimes they seamlessly overlap only to reinforce man’s shortcomings or acts of heroism.

Adeel uz Zafar is one artist who investigates time with reference to ‘what could have been’ instead of ‘what is’.

An exhibition of his latest body of work titled Unrealised, which was curated by Zarmeene Shah and concluded on Oct 27 at the Canvas Art Gallery, is another fine example of his inquisitive approach to art.

To expand on the above-mentioned theme, the statement provided by the gallery for the show says, “Adeel uz Zafar’s latest presentation is located simultaneously between the past, present and future through its lens on that which has remained unexhibited, or even perhaps executed, making connections evident and rendering the invisible visible. Seeking new directions, this exhibition extends the boundaries of art making and practice through time and space, material and immaterial, blurring the boundaries between making and unmaking in navigating through these complex and nuanced fields.”

They indeed are complex and nuanced. What’s striking about this particular display is that while there is a tremendous visual pull to the artworks that he has created — focusing on both individualistic streak and societal predicaments through sculptures and inkjet prints among other media — the sensitivity that he’s lent to them is worth marvelling at.

It is definitely the creation of an artist who has experienced and observed a whole gamut of emotion. Of course, it could not have been achieved without a certain heightened level of understanding of the vagaries of life, which here one is compelled to compare to Hamlet, Shakespeare’s famous prince of Denmark.

The word ‘inertia’ (read: inaction) associated with that character contributes to the kind of immortal personality that he eventually becomes — a procrastinating duty-bound man with a great deal to vent. The ‘unrealised’ aspects of existence that Adeel is touching upon have a similar intensity.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2022