Written by: Shameen Arshad
Posted on: February 08, 2022 | 
| 中文
The eagles have moved in
The show “A different view” at Khaas Contemporary, Islamabad, reveals Jaffer Hasan as a similar wanderer, in search of all that is vibrant and meaningful in the world around him. The solo show consists of photo collages of the Hill Park in Karachi, a space that holds great sentimental value for the artist. The artwork documents, the once thriving and accessible recreational space as reduced to a deteriorating mass, serving as a museum of memories and time. Through this series the artist is trying to give evanescent moments from his childhood permanence, using his repository of memories as a warm blanket on rainy days.
When advertisements were classy
The Park is the physical manifestation of the existing joyless and dispirited nature of his hometown due to its history of an oppressive regime. The Hill Park serves as a microcosm of the city that in turn represents the country and the degeneration of the fabric of society. Hasan shows how inhospitable conditions and subsequent modified lifestyles have left “the city of lights” with dark clouds looming overhead.
Hasan cloaks his subjects in stark black shadows, to represent a cold, hollow environment that has been stripped of the numerous sights, scents and sounds that used to reside within it, very much like the spirit leaving the body leaving behind an empty case of flesh. The non-functional rides contradict their typical nature that reflects adventure, delight, and constant motion. To see a space so far from its usual state is unsettling.
Imagine riding this
The high contrast and grainy quality add an element of antiquity, resembling classical photography. The image “Bigger than the world itself” also alludes to a pinhole through the semi-circular vignette formation at the top. The grainy quality perhaps also depicts a disturbance in the atmosphere or the mind of the artist himself. The visible grains give the images a more painterly feel that works in the favour of the artist as even today Photography fights for acceptability as an art form. Prints on Canson paper, as well as the application of gold leaf increase its palatability for a larger audience. The gold leaf, used in traditional painting, negates the idea of multiplication associated with photography, adding the imperfection that is equated to the human hand, further reducing its industrial appearance. Additionally, it is interesting to see the immediacy and accuracy of the medium undermined by the memories recalled that never truly match reality. “The camera may not lie”, but the memory can certainly play tricks.
Mickey in Arabian nights
The artist vacillates between different time periods. The audience is asked to visualize the “good old days”, while observing the present state, concluding with contemplation over its future. The creative techniques are used to augment this motility. The greyscale images, representing archaicism, are embellished with bright gold sheets used to restore some of the former glory of the park and all it represents, visually transporting us from the past to contemporary times. The texture of the gold leaf gives the work somewhat of a three-dimensional quality, signifying the layers of time within one fixed frame. However, the use of matt black framing, instead of brown ones, seems to seamlessly blend with the image, causing lesser distraction like the monochromatic palette itself. The artist is seen as using colour only where it serves a purpose, as in the “sunset reflection”, the time of day that is attributed to the end of life. It serves like the last piece conceived in the series, suggesting a sense of progression into the present and eventual future in one’s mind, the acceptance of the state of things. Whether the choice was conscious or not, the series acts as a prelude for another set of artworks, further reinstating the idea of a progression in the artist’s life.
Imagine hanging on by a thread
“Two worlds apart” also exhibits the existence of different possibilities, decay and life shown through an empty mechanical structure on the left and one with clusters of birds, resting before taking flight again. Additionally, Hasan also seems to touch upon the matter of the inharmonious coexistence of man and nature as he uses birds’ nest to show human abandonment. “The eagles have moved in”, suggests the space as a leftover of human occupation and a shifting of ownership. Furthermore, the work also proposes the subject of the permanence versus transience. The solid structures that exemplify strength, endurance, and the capability to outlive several generations, stands lifeless before the artist, highlighting the unpredictable and deceptive nature of life as the artist memories survive long after the park has desiccated.
Simple, direct titles is the artist’s way of getting straight to the point. “The cloud over Hill Parks” or “the day the ride died”, instantly determines the gloomy tone and subject matter with clear references to the past. The artwork seems to be based of thoughts churning in the mind of the artist for a while, thus reproduced with immense clarity, leaving lesser room for alternate interpretation.
The cloud over Hillpark
The work does not leave the viewer feeling great. They seem to mourn the end of a glorious period alongside the artist. But who is to say art always must make us feel good? It’s a form of self-expression that can assume any disposition it chooses. However, with the introduction of colour despite it being a melancholic sunset, hints at a shift to a more optimistic perspective. He might be showing the sun setting on the Hill Park only to get to a new day that might bring more possibilities. How better to represent the bittersweet emotion of nostalgia.
You may also like:
