Fazil Hussain Mousavi’s paintings — on display at the exhibition titled ‘Zamistan’, curated by Aasim Akhtar at Chawkandi Art Gallery, Karachi — appear like pearls sequestered inside an oyster, waiting to be retrieved.

Mousavi’s minimalist approach, linear markings, usage of the Persian script, and a restrained application of gold leaf and abstract forms evoke a sense of both delicate and subtle beauty. The imagery, however, can be read on many levels. Mousavi’s is a world of metaphors, challenging the viewer to meander into uncertainty and wonder.

Quetta-born Mousavi’s art is anchored in Persian literary traditions and, despite the lack of familiarity or interest regarding this discourse amongst the Pakistani masses, he continues to produce the most remarkable critique of our times.

The title of the show, ‘Zamistan’, is inspired by the works of the Iranian poet Mehdi Akhavan-Sales. Zamistan, meaning winter, is used as a metaphor for our times. It suggests a frozen condition of the mind and body, where people are unable to unfold their arms to greet each other, nor are they willing to give a positive response. This is made evident even in the names of his paintings, such as in The Weather is Cold…

Poetry, calligraphy and spirituality intertwine in Fazil Hussain Mousavi’s artwork

To understand Mousavi’s art is to hear him draw parallels to the verses of Rumi, Hafiz Shirazi, Abdul Qadir Bedil and other poets. His art and imagery is steeped in the knowledge of Firdousi’s Shahnameh [The Book of Kings] and is a natural outcome of his familiarity with literature. When he was in the sixth grade, his father, a religious scholar, introduced Mousavi to Shirazi’s works. His father would also make him recite a ghazal by Hafiz every night with ‘’impeccable pronunciation” and then make him memorise a new one.

The White Demon or Dev (the master sorcerer) and Rustom, the great warrior (The Shield of Persia), from the Shahnameh appear from time to time in Mousavi’s imagery. Mousavi’s approach, however, is so minimalistic and poetic — particularly apparent in the Following the Form series — that one imagines him holding his breath for every mark that he makes. He internalises the collective consciousness of centuries by relocating historical literary sources into a new critique of his times. This is the integrity and beauty on the periphery in Pakistani art.

Interestingly, Mousavi’s father’s will was inscribed in the calligraphic style known as Khat-i-Mirzai (Persian-Arabic script), whose aesthetic beauty appealed to Mousavi and subconsciously entered his art. Furthermore, the ribcage is a recurring image in Mousavi’s paintings, serving as a reminder of the separation between the body and soul, thus showcasing the entrapment of the soul.

Mousavi makes his artistic position clear: “Whenever I am asked about my art, it leaves me wondering about what I really paint. I am confronted by many doubts. What is the source of all this?” He believes that an artist makes visible whatever is unseen around us. He questions whether, while hundreds of portraits of Abdul Sattar Edhi have been painted, any artist has tried to capture Edhi’s ‘khuloos’ [sincerity]?

True to the countenance of a visionary himself, Mousavi’s conversation drifts into the poetry of Rumi, debating on the reality of man’s existence. He quotes Rumi, saying that even a mosquito can affect a person’s physical being, the ‘zahir’. But the essence, or the ‘baatin’, is larger than the seven skies.

Similarly, when you extract the essence from the physical reality, you begin the journey of knowledge. According to Mousavi, that is where art begins.

‘Zamistan’ was on display at Chawkandi Art Gallery in Karachi from April 20-30, 2024

The writer is an independent art critic, researcher and curator based in Karachi

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 12th, 2024