Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan
Posted on: June 20, 2022 | 
| 中文
Panel discussion on the book 'All That Art'. (R to L) Imran Qureshi, Suljuk Mustansar Tarar, Quddus Mirza, Zohreen Murtaza and RM Naeem
Contemporary art has become more accessible having moved beyond the traditional gallery space into the public sphere through art publications, social media and citywide art happenings such as the biennale. Suljuk Mustansar Tarar has been writing about artists and their art practice that has been published in The Friday Times, The News and The Daily Times. “All that Art” is an anthology of essays written by him over the years investigating the evolution of Pakistani art. In the essay, ‘Painter Of Entire Moments: Khalid Iqbal’, Suljuk reminisces about growing up with artists admired by his father, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, who is a critically acclaimed author. He remembers that “Buying Khalid Iqbal’s paintings was a big project. They were comparatively expensive but never over-priced and most importantly, required Khalid Iqbal’s consent. He would gently tell the client that since he recently bought a painting, he should now wait. After our fifth buy, he told my father that he had a “collector’s mania”, and as a freelancer like himself, he ought not to be spending too much money on paintings”. An appreciation for art and literature has been inculcated in the author from a young age.
Ali Kazim's painting 'Conference of the Birds' in the book
Suljuk draws insightful associations between art and literature, reflecting in the essay ‘Imran Qureshi Is Red’, he describes “Qureshi has mentioned how his work is inspired by Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s classic poem on the separation of East Pakistan. However, his work for me additionally overlaps with famous Turkish author Orhan Pamuk’s classic novel My Name is Red, which is a mystery about the murder of miniature artists working on a majestic miniature album for the sixteenth-century Ottoman emperor Sultan Murat III, and the conspiracies of the royal karkhana (miniature painting workshop).” Having travelled extensively and represented Pakistan as Diplomat and Ambassador, his perspective on Pakistani art is coloured by his personal experiences and exposure to global contemporary art practices.
Suljuk Mustansar Tarar with Imran Qureshi
His writing is focused on the immediate and modern trends that support and contextualise the art of artists, such as Rashid Rana, Aisha Khalid, Shahzia Sikander and RM Naeem. He describes Farida Batool’s practice as “Her medium of expression is lenticular. To put it simply, lenticular involves many layers of photo prints put on one another. The lenticular lens on top of photo prints acts like a prism to create optical illusions. It shows a different dimension of the picture to the viewer, depending upon their vantage point”, effortlessly deconstructing complex art mediums allowing the reader to find them relatable.
Panel discussion on the book. (R to L) Suljuk Mustansar Tarar, RM Naeem, Quddus Mirza and Zohreen Murtaza
His book pays homage to masters, retracing their history as a way to elaborate on the influence they had on him and art over the years. The series of in-depth discussions include chapters on Eqbal Ahmad, Ustad Bashir Ahmed, Saeed Akhtar and European Renaissance Master Michelangelo as essential resource material for young aspiring artists. Suljuk’s interest in International Relations & Development, along with participating in humanitarian causes run parallel to his passion for art writing. All That Art provides an in-depth view into the current Pakistani art scene and its impact on the global south. His academic affiliation to the National College of Arts, Lahore is the foundation for his art writing, the decades of memories and recollections are embedded throughout the book. Multiple generations of artists are documented with long-form essays and paired with detailed images of their work.
Saeed Akhtar's artwork in the book
The time he spent being a student of architecture at NCA has fueled these contributions to art writing here in Pakistan, and while serving at the Pakistani Embassies and the United Nations abroad. Suljuk was able to interact with a growing community of diaspora artists, seeing this phenomenon as a sign of evolution in the global south discourse that closely examines the nature and politics of identity. In his essay Diaspora Artists, he lists the change-makers of the diaspora community: “Contemporary miniature from Pakistan is like a global art movement. Some of its protagonists like Shahzia Sikander, Nusra Latif Qureshi, Fatima Zahra Hassan, Ambreen Butt, Talha Rathore, Tazeen Qayyum, Saira Wasim and Khadim Ali are based in different parts of the world. There are other contemporary artists like Mumtaz Hussain, Khalil Chishtee, Ruby Chishti, Faiza Butt, Anila Qayyum Agha, Sarah Ahmad, and Faisal Anwar who received their training in Pakistan and are now residing abroad.” His relationship with a majority of these artists was established through a mutual admiration of art-making as a medium of self-expression.
Suljuk is Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Netherlands and has championed Pakistanis throughout his diplomatic service in various countries. All That Art provides readers with a guidebook on understanding a diverse portfolio of Pakistani contemporary artists using analytical and critical tools. The writing is direct, conversational and immersive, highlighting the creative processes, breakthrough exhibitions, thematic interests, methodologies and conceptual discoveries made by each artist throughout their careers. The author believes that his art education has been instrumental in his self-growth, and helped him garner a meaningful perspective on the cultural diversity in art. He has approached each essay through the lens of storytelling adding personalised anecdotes, memories and comments that highlight his admiration for the artists.
RM Naeem reading the book
Suljuk’s investigations on art have been multifaceted using scholastic, descriptive, associational and intervention-based writing to reclaim Pakistani art history. His essay on ‘Printmaking’ in Pakistan provides essential reading on the contributions of Cowasjee Print Studio located inside the NCA, which mentored and trained a generation of printmakers. The cover art of the book is designed by RM Naeem and published by Sang-e-Meel Publications in 2021. Quddus Mirza, R. M. Naeem, Zohreen Murtaza and Suljuk Tarar earlier this year participated in a panel talk on the book at O Art Space that discussed the importance of art writing as a recourse and a medium of experiencing art.
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