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    Art Review: Lahore Ki Aik Dastaan at Lahore Biennale Foundation

    Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan
    Posted on: March 18, 2022 | | 中文

    Lahore In Movement by Farida Batool

    A multidisciplinary showcase of works by artist Farida Batool is being hosted by the Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) in collaboration with the British Council at Dyal Singh Mansion located at the heart of Mall Road, a major artery of the busiest business hubs of Lahore. It is considered to be the original Lahore, holding within its landmark architecture stories of countless communities. They have shaped the present identity and social fabric of the district.

    Farida Batool explores the complex visual syntax of the area through her series titled “Dastaan”, which includes multiple video projection installations, time-based & mixed media works and a collaborative painting installation with three locally based artists Agha Mukhtar, Kalid Mehmood and Afzal Khan, who have been based in this historical neighbourhood for generations. With a background in conservation and regeneration of architecture, curator Tanvir Hasan emphasises the importance of safeguarding monumental structures like Dyal Singh Mansion, which represent an authentic connection and key to understanding the formation of a collective memory of the place.

    Chiriyaan

    The main hall on the ground floor houses the largest video projection installation titled “Ajeeb Dastaan”. A larger-than-life projection surrounds the viewer spread across 3 walls showing fleeting visuals of the city from a birds-eye view. The erosion, peeling paint, cement and staining on the aged walls of the Dyal Singh Mansion become part of the installation piece. The signs of ageing were melded into the imagery of the city, expanding, and contracting the space around the viewer. There were five digital prints of Farida Batool’s photographs on plastic films that hung quietly with images of people, streets, doorways paired with elements of abstraction. The artist had transformed the interior of the building into a reflection of the world outside, by bringing in the aerial views and intimate street corners through video.

    "Ajeeb Dastaan" by Farida Batool

    A tale that is told over generations becomes a “dastaan”, the artist exploring the city through a process of witnessing its evolution without interfering or disturbing its rhythm and flow. She has created a series of video collages that observe the design in relation to the history of the city. Her deep understanding of the language and communities of the area fuels her artistic practice. The exhibition invites the public to enter the space as visitors, leaving behind the busy street and entering into an entirely new world that feels otherworldly and cinematic at first, and slowly assimilates into a familiar memory.

    Lahore Ki Aik Dastaan

    There are bright and colourful murals located in the large archway alley right outside the exhibition space, where the local poster artists were invited to paint a beautiful garden view with an iconic Lahore fountain, surrounded by gorgeous flowers marking the arrival of spring. Opposite this is a display of an even larger paragraph of verses written by hand directly on the wall. The viewer automatically connects this style of painting and writing to be an essential distillation of Lahore’s tradition. Qudsia Rahim, Executive Director of Lahore Biennale Foundation has orchestrated the reawakening of public art, curating countless exhibitions and installations around the city in multiple locations that invite the viewer to create their own personalised dialogue and intrigue around art, as an expressive medium of communication.

    "Jaan Ki Panah" by Farida Batool

    Farida’s video animation titled “Jaan ki Panah”, is a frenzied staircase of text rushing through in various directions, designed to be difficult to read traditionally, leaving the viewer with a sense of confusion and curiosity. The artist is highly aware of the formation of memories and knows how to distort and manipulate visual fragmentations that reflect the nonlinear nature of emotional language. In the “Tareekhi Gawahi” series, she layers the sheet with text and by using a backlight, the layers are illuminated pushing and pulling the viewer into various details across the diptych.

    "Tareekhi Gawahi I" by Farida Batool

    In the basement of the multi-story building are life-size cut-outs of iconic film heroes and heroines, painted by the poster artists. These unforgettable characters from popular movies of Lahore created a heavy cultural impact on the neighbourhood. “Film nama” is a unique sound collage with voices of Syed Abu Turab, Farida Batool and Syed Afzal Haider narrating personal reflections, while the Manto & Hakeem Ahmed Shujah pieces echo into the dimly lit cut-outs lined with neon led lights. A cinematic escape from the busy streets outside, the basement transformed into a stage for these posters to come alive.

    Shehar Alif Laila by Afzal Khan

    A guided tour of the exhibition is available from 5:30 to 6:30pm, as part of the Lahore Literature Festival program from the 17th of March 2022 till the 20th of March 2022.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021