Written by: Jovita Alvares
Posted on: September 11, 2019 | 
Indian soldiers meeting a young french boy by Asif Ahmed
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” Simply put, this quote by Frederick Nietzsche reflects on the idea that people will not understand your reactions to a cause, if they have not lived through that experience themselves. Coincidently, this was also the title for Sanat’s Initiative’s concluding two-person show at its current location at Clifton, Karachi. The artists exhibiting their art are Asif Ahmed and Syed Faraz Ali.
"Asif Ahmed, a graduate from the National College of Arts, has displayed his contemporary miniature paintings in various cities across the globe. His work has long explored the delicacy and aesthetics of this traditional art, through the visual context of regional history. His most recent body of work explores the pre-partition era of the subcontinent under British rule.
An Indian child with a cut across the picture
"Ahmed is influenced by various archival images from the British Empire, which he then appropriates with monochromatic shades of graphite. Seemingly simple in nature, the artist hints at the pain and loss that occurred during that time period. Images of Indian children are recreated with slashes running through the oval portraits. Ahmed adds hints of colour into the work through his tea and ink washed backgrounds, which become visual reminders of the time that has passed.
"Among the works is a recreation of a famous photograph of a French boy meeting Indian soldiers, as they arrive to fight along British forces during World War I. As the child innocently greets the foreign men, the soldiers look distraught, possibly thinking of their own children back home, wondering if the war will be kind enough to let them survive it. Ahmed’s addition of children to the mix really emphasizes the severity of pain caused by the British to the most vulnerable of the local people.
"Syed Faraz Ali graduated from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, and then completed his Masters from the National Art School in Australia. As a multidisciplinary artist, his work observes the materiality and experimental quality of his mediums.
"Through his current work, Ali not only explores the capabilities of resin, but also recognises its similarities to the human skin. The term ‘thick skin’ is often used to describe a person’s ability to undergo cruel treatment, and it is something that develops after years of moulding oneself within the harsh reality of life. Resin too moulds and transforms, and can impersonate any kind of object, but after it hardens it stays that way. In turn, Ali uses this chemical process to create sculptural relief pieces that explore contemporary political and social situations.
The Kanoon sculpture by Syed Faraz Ali
"In one work, Ali places an upside down Kanoon (“law and order”), which playfully pokes fun at the enduring turmoil of Pakistan. The artist explained that if there is an attempt at fixing the law, then the lawmakers are found out of place, and if the lawmakers are corrected, then the sculpture, as well as the law goes into disarray.
Mickey Mouse sculpture made of resin rats by Syed Faraz Ali
"The most exciting aspect about the work is, that it is made up of miniature figurine heads of iconic Disney characters, which poke fun at the country’s political system. Characters such as Mickey Mouse and Shrek also appear in his other works, along with Ali’s comical depictions of miniature Donald Trump heads that come together to spell the Urdu character ‘Chay’, also an offensive slang term.
"While Ahmed speaks of the dismal past, Ali speaks of a disarrayed present. There is a continuation from one artist’s work to the next; a timeline is streamed across the walls on Sanat, displaying the problematic rules of both eras, perhaps even a reminder of the how history continues to repeat itself in strange but fascinating ways.
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