KARACHI: There are many things that one can associate ‘belonging’ with — land, people, emotional attachment are some of them. When artists try and explore this subject, the binary of the societal and the individual invariably becomes inevitable to rear its head. A two-person show titled Traces of Belonging that recently concluded at the Chawkandi Art Gallery focuses on this theme.

The participating artists are Arslan Farooqi and Mirza Zeeshan Hussain. Both touch upon the same topic with a different angle. The former puts emphasis on collective experiences and the latter on the ‘scars’ that one is left with as a singular experience. And both do an impressive job expressing themselves.

Farooqi says, “In a dream-like realm, a door-less house stands. Those who have spent lifetimes come not to enter but to unite in a shared presence. Gaze upon the paradox: desire and contentment entwine, an unspoken story.”

Hussain’s statement reads, “My work caters to the disturbing reality of every individual in society. We are all made of traumas… and you can’t tell one from another… These emotions can’t be suppressed; instead, they all take a shape of huge baggage we carry till our last breath.”

The one thing that stands out from both assertions is that the artists are trying to give tongue to unsaid words or unexpressed feelings. In the case of the former, the resolution of the problem lies in getting into a spiritual world where sharing becomes hearing. The ‘Echoes’ series (gouache on paper) is a delicate work of art which has a name that refers to the auditory sense but appeals to the visual perception. This is where cohabiting of spaces becomes important.

In the latter’s case ‘The Masked Soul’ (acrylic on canvas), somewhat similarly, speaks of an intangible thing (soul) but addresses a tangible aspect of our lives (body). The healing of the scar (on a body) depends on the healing of the hurt that the soul has felt.

Sensitive stuff!.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2024