Written by: Mahnaz Shujrah
Posted on: February 26, 2018 | 
| 中文
(L-R) Salima Hashmi, Sona Datta, Melissa Chiu and Vali Mahlouji in the session 'Reframing the Picture of Asian Art'
Over the years, the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) has become one of the most awaited events of the city. This time around the organizers outdid themselves by bringing together national and international stars, along with authors, activists, and enthusiasts. With a wide variety of topics in the panel discussions, almost every hall was full to capacity. Some of the most awaited speakers included Zia Mohyeddin, Riz Ahmed, Reza Aslan, Mohsin Hamid, Ben Okri and Iftikhar Arif.
As the moderator F.S Aijazuddin said, it is very interesting to be discussing the longest ruling Mughal emperor exactly 400 years after his birth in 1618. The session focused on the new book, ‘Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth,’ by the historian Dr. Audrey Truschke, and how she aims to reinterpret the narrative built around Aurangzeb’s controversial figure.
The conversation progressed according to the four phases of Aurangzeb’s life, from his time as a prince to his time at Deccan. Truschke talked about aspects of his life which are often overlooked, such as the women in his life, and his less highlighted policies. She urged the audience to assess Aurangzeb's leadership according to the standards of his times, as opposed to this day and age. The dominant narrative about the Mughal ruler paints him as a religiously conservative and often intolerant man. But Truschke points out using primary sources that this may not be the case. Since security of the state was Aurangzeb's primary concern, many of his decisions revolved around this aspect.
The history of this region has become so politicized that accepting new interpretations can be a difficult task. Truschke shared how the publication of her book has resulted in hate mail and threats. Nevertheless, she hopes to create the space for bringing forth multiple perspectives on our history.
A leading authority on the subject, Melissa Chiu talked about her interest, experience and work revolving around contemporary art in China, with the discussion moderated by Shahid Zahid. Chiu is Australian-born with Chinese origin, and currently serving as the director at Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C.. Bringing to light the journey of contemporary artists in China, Melissa Chiu revealed an aspect of China that isn’t given much limelight. During the 1990s, there were very few books published on the subject, but Chiu mentioned that now there is more research, including several of her own publications.
The session began with a slideshow; Chiu took the audience through an exhibit of selected art works from the last 40 years. The presentation displayed different art forms such as sculptures and paintings. Some artists included Geng Jianyi, Lin Tianmiao, Yin Xiuzhen and Hai Bo. An interesting piece was Zhang Xiaogang’s A Big Family (1995), showing a family portrait along with a red line representative of blood relations and ancestry.
Chiu talked about the many changes China is undergoing. For example, the Long Museum in Shanghai, a private initiative, provides a platform for artists to showcase their work, as compared to “apartment art” which was the space where art was publicly displayed earlier. Chiu rightly pointed out how increasingly the artist is less bound by materials and instead driven more by ideas. The medium of art is increasingly evolving with technology, which is in turn changing the way museums view art collections, and how museums themselves are viewed.
This panel discussion featured some of the leading figures in the field, including Melissa Chiu, Archaeology of the Final Decade (AOTFD) founder, Vali Mahlouji, and former British museum curator, Sona Datta. The discussion was moderated by the renowned Pakistani artist, Salima Hashmi.
The conversation started with defining the role of a curator and how it has evolved. Curators are no longer confined to art pieces but must also deal with knowledge as a whole. Each individual shared their experiences of bringing something unexpected to the limelight. For example, Datta talked about her project Voices of Bengal exhibition at the British Museum, and how the community took part in the creative process as active stakeholders.
The interesting work of Mahlouji deals with disappearances, as he himself put it. He identifies gaps in history, how artefacts are stigmatized and how art is destroyed. He gave a presentation on one of his projects, Recreating the Citadel, which was about the red light district of Tehran, and how an entire aspect of art history was buried when a fire burnt the area down. It was later turned into a park after the revolution. Parallels can be drawn with Pakistan, as several of our monuments or neighbourhoods are being renamed, to align with the national narrative. However, art cannot be controlled by boundaries or ideologies and to illustrate this, the speakers touched upon the role of artists from the Asian Diaspora. The work of these artists revives yet also challenges traditional themes and practices.
Overall, the weekend was a memorable one, with a keynote speech by Dr. Azra Raza, and a discussion with Asma Qadri about Baba Fariduddin Masoud. Both touched upon the essence of what it means to be human and how hope can be cultivated in today’s world. While the first day ended with dastaangoi (dramatic storytelling), an energetic performance by Laal Band concluded the second. I’ll leave you with a couplet by Faiz, which they performed, “Tum apni karni kar guzro, jo hoga dekha jayega (Do what you want to, what comes after can be dealt with)”. Though Faiz lived in a rather different world, his words encourage us to reflect upon and strive for our passions in life, in a manner similar to the speakers of the Lahore Literary Festival.
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