KARACHI: On Aug 31 this year, renowned artist Mohan Das died. It shocked not just his artist fraternity but a big number of his admirers that he had garnered over the years because of his tremendous creative endeavours. It is thoughtful of the Canvas Art Gallery to hold an exhibition Homage to Mohan Das for art lovers as well as to show its gratitude to the late artist for contributing immensely to his field of work.

One of the many remarkable features of Das’s artistic output was his ability to juxtapose history and contemporariness, classicism and modernity, with effortless ease in a way that it lent an entirely new and singular meaning to the seemingly poles-apart worlds.

In the current show, too, there is evidence of this ability. There are pieces such as ‘Illusion with Vincent van Gogh’ and ‘Mona Lisa with Gas Cylinder’ (acrylic on canvas). They are striking and impress art buffs because if on the one hand they allow him/her to time-travel and analyse, on the other hand they develop an urge in him/her to remain inert to imbibe as much as it’s probable.

But then, showing versatility only like an artist can, there also is an exhibit called ‘Sher Bahadur’ (graphite pencil on canvas), a tip of the hat to the film industry from the recent past minus its garishness. Here culture is being highlighted not criticised by underlining the fact that the presence of the aesthetic in any genre of storytelling can sometimes work well with overstated expressions.

In a note penned by artist and critic Quddus Mirza for the exhibition, Das is mentioned in the following words: “His death is mournful, but not an unusual event, because every day, hour, minute, second, people are leaving the world. However, when we look back at the life of the departed, we question whether the person really disappeared or is still present in some form?”

What a nice tribute to Das!

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2023