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    Art Review: 'Where the Shadows are so Deep' by Imran Qureshi

    Where the Shadows are so Deep by Imran Qureshi

    Written by: Samar F. Zia
    Posted on: March 09, 2016 | | 中文

    Imran Qureshi stands next to his artwork (courtesy The Barbican Centre)

    Up at the Barbican Centre's Curve gallery is a new body of work by Imran Qureshi, a Pakistani artist who needs no introduction. Even though Qureshi is no stranger to Art's great stages, from the rooftop of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York to Ikon Gallery, Birmingham for Deutsche artist of the year 2013, this show titled Where the Shadows are so Deep is his first major commission in London.

    The Curve, at the Barbican Centre, is a high ceilinged, 90-metre long semi-circular gallery. According to Qureshi, he wanted to “enhance the scale of the huge curve-shaped space by having something very tiny, very small, very miniature”. He has indeed been successful at providing a wholesome experience of the space owing to the scale of his works, but it is not just miniature paintings that have helped him achieve this goal. Qureshi’s intervening site-specific work of blood-like drips, splashes and puddles that make you look all the way up to the ceiling and the width of the floor, are just as important.

    Where the Shadows are so Deep by Imran Qureshi

    (Image provided by the author)

    The ornamental yet disquieting miniatures are hung at varying eye-levels, in a darkened space with spot lights brightening up the paintings like shining jewels on a wall. The disparate heights of the framed pieces and the site-specific work choreograph the audience’s movement along the gallery space, encouraging an experience of the Curve. Similar to the painting, the blood-like site-specific work is also lit-up however, not in its entirety, leaving parts of it trailing into the dark serving a self-explanatory conceptual and curatorial purpose.

    For Where the Shadows are so Deep, Imran Qureshi has taken the grand physicality of the Curve as his starting point. He has chosen the curving horizontal line, commonly used to represent landscapes or a ground-line in traditional Mughal Miniature paintings, as one of the main motifs in this new series. Accompanying the curving ground-line are trees, roots and leaves, recurring symbols in Qureshi’s practice.

    Where the Shadows are so Deep by Imran Qureshi

    (Image provided by the author)

    The series begins with gentle scenes of nature, but as one moves along the bend of the gallery, the paintings evolve to incorporate red splotches of paint suggesting blood, unchecked crimson roots entwining and trapping trees, toppling them over and further encroaching any given surface. This body of work symbolises a spreading evil, taking down everything in its path, where nature i.e leaves and trees represent the pure, and the colour red represents evil.

    Where the Shadows are so Deep by Imran Qureshi

    (Image provided by the author)

    The presence of the red colour is not limited to the paintings, and finds its way in Qureshi’s site-specific work in the form of his trademark leaf motif. The in-situ splatters of red paint seem ominous from afar, but up-close they transform into aesthetic leafy patterns, common in miniature paintings. This additive paint flows out from the miniature paintings onto the walls and floor of the Barbican, carrying the artist from the category of miniaturist to a practitioner of interdisciplinary art without a hitch.

    Blurring the boundaries of miniature painting and site-specific installations is not the only noteworthy aspect of this exhibition. Miniature is normally associated with beautifully made intricate pieces of art, with elaborate borders, masterfully rendered faces and figures, flora and fauna, and more often than not, an unreal fourth dimension defying perspective as we understand it. Whether traditional or contemporary, owing to the technique, miniature painting is refined and flawless.

    Qureshi undoes this stereotype. Not to say that the paintings in Where the Shadows Are so Deep are not beautiful – they most certainly are – but there is a fluidity in every piece that transcends the genre; executed in a language that has more in common with drawing than with the traditional technique of miniature painting. Qureshi challenges and renews the idea of precision in miniature painting with these works, where ornamental borders are replaced with mark-making that resembles checking the qalam’s flow or consistency of paint. Similarly, purposefully-careless drips of paint are spontaneously made use of regardless of where they land on the vasli. Suffice it to say that this exhibition showcases many elements of art that have more in common with contemporary painting or drawing as opposed to miniature painting.

    Where the Shadows are so Deep by Imran Qureshi

    (Image courtesy The Barbican Centre)

    Where the Shadows Are so Deep is a must-see if one happens to be in London. The show continues until 10th July 2016.


    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