Written by: Khadijah Rehman
Posted on: August 30, 2018 | 
| 中文
(L) Jhoomer by Amra Khan, (R) Clover Field by Amra Khan
The existential notions of identity and the mysteries of gender have enthralled and haunted mankind since the dawn of time. Initially, much of art existed as sensitive and forlorn attempts to capture the transient nature of life and time. Ultimately though, artists began to used the brush as more than a tool to reproduce the frail and the beautiful, and this gave rise to a rebellious and daring kind of artist. These artists painted as a form of catharsis, to explore what it means to be alive in a world where the self is ever evolving and many faceted. Amra Khan is one such artist, who is mystified by the fluidity of gender and the constant battle waged between the many aspects of a human being. This August, in a show titled ‘Kacha Gosht’ at the O Art Space in Lahore, Khan put up works that were striking, dauntless and fraught with duality.
Upon entering the gallery space, the viewer is met by a visual onslaught of flesh against greenery. Oil paintings of robust men, draped in nothing except for a cloth around the waist, stand side by side, gazing unflinchingly at the viewer. The flesh is dark and unnerving in its beauty - one can discern the loving quality with which the artist has painted it, bestowing an exoticism onto the ordinary. The phrase Kacha Gosht, meaning raw meat, gives new meaning to the taboo ideas associated with bare flesh. In pairs of two in almost every painting, these men stand against bright pixelated foliage, with subtle halos behind their heads. The pairing and postures are immediately reminiscent of duplexity, and the pixelation of the background makes the setting appear both dreamlike and intangible. In one painting, one man has a small flower tucked delicately behind the ear while the other has donned a beaded necklace. Intricate white flowers grow from the ground on which these men stand, adding to the whimsical nature of the setting and creating a wonderful contrast with the sturdiness of the figures. The subjects in the paintings gaze at the viewer, demure yet unabashed, and it is clear that the artist is exploring the idea of androgyny. Though the faces and bodies are clearly of men, an inner conflict is evident as well, suggesting that gender is less to do with the body and more to do with the mind and soul.
This idea is further emphasized through a series of vivid red paintings that hang nearby, framed in ornamental gold. Portraits of seemingly androgynous bald people, difficult to identify as either male or female, have been crafted in the same murky tones, the paint strokes full of frenzy. They hold one another close, smile at the viewer with flowers behind their ears, look into mirrors holding traditional jewelry against their heads, with buds of motia peppering different surfaces. One can almost inhale the scent of these atmospheres, so exuberant are the paintings, and yet there is a melancholy in the yearning gaze of the hairless subjects, their mouths drooping. In a country where gender fluidity is still discussed in hushed, vehement tones behind closed doors, Khan’s paintings are a dazzling ode to the conflicts of identity, gender and personality that exist within every person. Another example of inner conflict is depicted in a painting of a fully grown man in the nude, sitting on a child’s rocking horse, looking at the audience as if he has been caught in an intimate moment of solitude with his true self.
Khan’s work poses a multitude of questions. Is existence determined by the body or the soul? What does it mean to be man or woman, child or adult? The constant tension between two ideas, two personalities, two genders and two paths is the artist’s concern, and her spirited and earnest paintings leave a lasting impression.
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