KARACHI: They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The statement basically hints at the redundancy of description. Given the technological revolution that has come about in the 21st century in which almost anyone who has a cell phone can take a picture, with varying degrees of aesthetic grace. That said, the association of the visual with the textual cannot be emphasised enough, for the simple reason that human beings communicate more with utterances than gestures.

A two-person show titled Relationship of Words and Images is underway at the Chawkandi Art Gallery. As can be guessed from the name of the exhibition, it highlights the mutually reinforcing aspect of what we see and what we say.

Both artists — Ahsan Memon and Hamid Ali Hanbhi — have established credentials. When they put their works on display, the viewer can’t afford to just skim through them. They demand attention.

The two combine sensitivity and sincerity in a remarkably balanced proportion.

For example, Ahsan informs the viewer of the names of the portraits that he paints, and despite the fact the viewer doesn’t know (or may not know) the subject, the relatability with the artwork such as ‘Hira’ (oil on canvas) is striking. These pictures that he paints are stories unto themselves with a deeply melancholic vibe to them, hinting at subjects such as the transient nature of human existence.

Hamid moves from the singular to the historical. His focus is on interpreting history, a task that has been an extremely challenging one not just historians for centuries, but for creative souls. By putting text at the bottom of his oil-on-canvas exhibits, such as ‘I will stay here’ (oil on canvas) he lends his own opinion to a scene. He does it so that whoever looks at the painting construes what’s in the frame afresh.

This means, there’s a visual which is underlined by text but the combination of two is making it more visible than on surface.

Interesting stuff!

The show concludes on Sept 4.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024