Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s first solo exhibition in Lahore at Gallery 39K reveals an artist with maturity of thought, who is grappling with technique as he seeks to develop his own homage to what he calls ‘art and activism’. Titled “The Shrine”, the exhibition seeks to engage with the Hindu community in Pakistan, which is marginalised and feels increasingly vulnerable.

Bhutto’s work is informed primarily by multiple layers that can be unravelled and read on many levels — both in photography and in video form. One of the most important works, it seemed, due both to its central installation and focus in marketing was titled ‘Only for Hindus’. Upon close viewing, one could see multiple images of a space that was directly marked for a particular religious community, overlapped with a group of young children sitting around it.

The viewer could ponder on themes of exclusion but this time the stakes were reversed. Rather than spaces that were exclusively for the Muslim community, this terms space only for the Hindu community, raising questions regarding reaction and communities ghettoising themselves. It is also a painful reminder of a moment in Pakistani history, nostalgically referred by many today, that speaks about the creeping intolerance of our society.

‘The Shrine’ is a show that brings art and activism together and deals with the issue of marginalised minorities

Another fascinating work by the artist is ‘Burning embers’ that showcases in depth the ritual of cremation in Hinduism. Here again, the artist makes sure to focus closely with the work itself, making it overpowering, and so the viewer is able to connect visually with the strong orange fires as they burn away the crisp wood.

On a wintry morning in Lahore, this room felt the warmest, a testament to the artist’s ability to be able to utilise the camera in order to influence the viewer. Again, the symbolism of this work is multifaceted — the ritual for the sake of ritual, the question of its relationship to how we understand the other, the role of ashes to ashes, and on the cycle of life — looking at it, one is reminded of our own fragility as humans, but of social bonds as well.

Many of the works speak to a rather activist nature — where the artist is trying to make strong political and social statements. The link between art and activism is a feature in the work of many artists. However, depending on context and space, the viewer might be more interested in art for the sake of art, i.e. that art must gain precedence over the activism. In this mode, one could see some clear technical issues with some of the work. Some of the layers of the photographs and light boxes didn’t seem to be meshing properly and there could be a focus on more editing and higher level of ‘perfectionism’. However, these issues should not take away from the work itself which conceptually showcase a very mature artist.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who is the son of Mir Murtaza, and the brother of author Fatima Bhutto received his degree in art history and MFA from the San Francisco Institute of Art. As such, he has deeply engaged with practice and history, allowing him to contextualise and produce strong results.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 1st, 2015

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