Written by: Nimra Khan
Posted on: June 08, 2023 | 
| 中文
The curator, FS Karachiwala (center), during the opening of the exhibition
There is a strange kind of satisfaction in the rhythmic repetition of a single unit, systematically arranged into a complex design that may or may not operate on a predetermined geometric system. The result can be exquisite textures and patterns that take on the characteristics of a language, acting as symbols that denote meaning beyond what is readily apparent. Curator FS Karachiwala brings together five artists working around the thematic premise of patterns, interpreted both visually and metaphorically, in a recent show at Full Circle Gallery. In this show, repetitive acts create a process through which the artists talk about personal and collective memories, natural and manmade spaces, identity and experiences, and a spiritual connection to a higher power.
While connected through this common thread, the resulting visuals are diverse, from miniscule, meticulously etched symbols coalescing into a tonally gradating surface in Farrukh Addnan’s work, to the bold, rigid and luminescent textures in the large-scale canvases of Shaukat Ali Khokar, to the very soft and organic patterns in Yasmeen Zahra Salman’s prints. Resisting the idea of monotony inherent in patterns, most of the works adopt the repetitive process, yet apply it in a nonsymmetrical and irregular fashion, adding to the conceptual depth of the works.
Untitled by Shaukat Ali Khokhar
The show opens with Khokar’s minimalist abstract works, built through the painstaking technique of pointalism on a black surface in gradating shades of white, creating the illusion of three-dimensional form. These forms are illusive, their abstract nature tethering them to the whims of the imagination. A meaningless pattern takes on the appearance of fields of grass, dissolving into a cityscape in the next instance, or the folds of a silken cloth transforming into a mound of shiny hair. Yet, what creates interest are the irregularities within the pristine rigidity. This creates an opening into endless possibilities, subverting the brain’s expectation of perfection with an interruption, tickling the senses and piquing curiosity to delve further into its depths.
Moving forth, one is met with Hira Mansur’s subdued hues, which act as a buffer between the monotone affair of Khokar’s, and the direct contrast of Salman’s soft pastel shades and themes of nature. The contrast is welcome and offers a respite, as well as an alternate perspective on the show’s thematic and its potential for a varied interpretation. Both Mansur’s and Salman’s works emerge from a personal space, reflecting on their identity, relationships, environment and experiences. Mansur develops her small-scale surfaces in layers of ink and watercolor, till they are dense and murky shades of dull green. The painted images are surrealist amalgamations of animals and objects morphing into one another, which she sees as a metaphor for the hybrid nature of her personality as a product of nature and nurture; her biological mother and the upbringing of her adoptive mother. What sets the work apart is the images and patterns created through the repeated act of needle pricks, which creates another, almost camouflaged layer of narrative. The act of piercing creates a violence that represents the pain of infertility carried by her adoptive mother, sharp, jabbing and recurrent, inflicted over and over as a byproduct of deviation from societal norms.
Into the haze by Hira Mansur
Salman’s work looks at nature as an unpredictable and chaotic force in constant flux, yet there is still order and a system in place. This inspires her visuals that emerge from the home and the domestic setting, which seem to symbolize her own roles and relationships within that space and how they are negotiated in tandem with her other identities as an artist and art educator, in order to create a sense of harmony between the two. Just as order exists in the chaos of nature, here she seems to be trying to provide structure to her own chaotic life. The monotony of daily life can provide this structure, yet can also become a suffocating shackle. This is perfectly represented by the flowery patterns, soft and organic, unravelling in places, resembling patterns found within a domestic setting from floor tiles to wall papers and window grilles and lattice dividers and jaals. The butterflies and other insects reinforce the idea of order and balance, the slightest missteps in which can lead to chaos. In this way, the works have a feminine sensibility and seem to speak to the female experience.
Mera Baagh_ Through Myself I See You, You See Me by Yasmeen Zahra Salman
This leads into the next section of the exhibit with the works of Farrukh Addnan, whose repetitive process does not create a pattern in the strictest sense, but rather a texture that is almost a surface at a distance, only splitting into its constituent parts as one draws closer. These quiet, clinical, black and white works are again a shift from Salman’s emotive, loose, organic forms. It is almost like white noise, or the snowy static of an old television screen. As the artist develops his narrative from collective history and archaeology, the delicate mark-making resembles an ariel view of an ancient dig site, with broken unfinished walls repeated over and over into a cacophony, endless, formless, and chaotic. In that sense, they resemble modern urban spaces, forging a link between past and present.
Intersection - II by Farrukh Addnan
The final section contains the works of Shazia Jaffrey, whose geometric forms are comprised of meticulous patterns formed by weaving together words and phrases picked up from conversations, books and her own poetic renditions. In a sense these works seem to combine the duality seen in the works thus far, both rigid and organic, geometric yet asymmetrical, structured exterior and meticulous process acting as a meditative agent rooting the work in spiritual practice. Titled “Zikr”, it becomes almost like a ritualistic recitation on the Tasbih (prayer beads), or the circumambulation of the Ka’aba during Tawwaf – a mystical experience that elevates the mind and soul in reverence of the Higher Power and extends a connection to the Almighty.
Zikr 11 by Shazia Jaffery
The curation of the show allows for the audience to percept linkages and appreciate the differences between the works, illustrating the vast interpretations and conceptual possibilities of the show’s curatorial premise. Through the many different visual forms patterns and repetitions can take, they allow a deeper understanding of ourselves, the world around us, and the world beyond our grasp, encapsulating every aspect of our lives.
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