Written by: Shameen Arshad
Posted on: October 31, 2022 | 
| 中文
Shab-o-Roz by Mohammad Atif Khan
A superficial reading of South Asian Art would bring to mind Mughal paintings, Urdu calligraphy, Intricate design work and bright colours. Mohammad Atif Khan’s work possesses all these qualities and much more. Khan once again teamed up with Tanzara Gallery, Islamabad for a solo presentation of his work. The show titled “Tales of the Heart” opened to the public on the 27th of October and runs until the 9th of November 2022. The exhibition houses 21 exquisite pieces showcasing the prolific career of the artist. Khan who has explored many different techniques throughout his practice has selected pieces that showcase his technical and conceptual range, while revealing the possibilities within the print method.
Song of Spring II
Khan’s collection is bound together by the inspiration he derives from South Asian history, culture and iconography. The artist illustrates the past as omnipresent and how different periods of time cannot be seen as separate from each other. The artist picks visuals from popular South Asian culture, recasting them in his compositions. He takes elements from found imagery, that become entities in themselves as they are separated from their former context, making them versatile and capable of assuming varied meanings. Khan uses this versatility to piece together his narrative.
Mughal characters are seen taking up different roles in each composition. They can be seen as reminders of the past, the personification of emotion, a joyful naivety, or stylized representations of individuals today. The works possess a very playful character. The bright colour palette promotes the idea of a light subject matter, which is not always the case. The artist is seen to discuss several grave matters such as the complexities of politics and society in a more palatable manner. The layouts in works such as “Floating Dream” and “Homage to the hometown”, resemble video games from the 90s with characters navigating different terrains and roadblocks, the trials and tribulations of getting to a destination.
Floating Dream
The selection of visuals from different sources of popular culture is also reminiscent of the old practice of making paintings in “Karkhanas” (Miniature workshops), where each painting was a joint effort of different artists each assigned to a particular part of the work. Similarly, Khan’s practice can be read as a joint effort of different creative minds, as he pulls out images from previously constructed imagery, to create one original cohesive piece.
However, the artist does not solely depend on the Mughal characters to enhance his images. He juxtaposes them with very ordinary visuals such as roadblocks or cheaply designed political posters, grounding his images to a Pakistani setting. Thus, the inclusion of such visuals no longer presents the works as dreamscapes or existing within another time and space, for it makes them relevant to our here and now. Khan also includes patterns that have been an important feature of South Asian art through the ages, such as in the form of bridges plastered with Islamic geometric art that generally pins down the location of the space within a cultural context.
The End
Khan’s etchings make direct reference to ideas of identity through the illustration of bar codes. The title “Transient figure”, reveals the ever-evolving nature of identity or our understanding of it. The Zebu Bull, an important emblem of the Indus Valley civilization formerly used to represent the “leader of the herd”, hints at the idea of power dynamics within a society or perhaps the idea of authority/ people in authority. Furthermore, “Isolation I” shows references made to our colonial past, which was detrimental to many generations, becoming an inevitable part of our identity. Khan presents the South Asian identity as a mix of different influences; the British empire is a significant one. The artist’s work is not didactic or passionately promoting certain ideas, it simply documents how history, politics and culture have shaped the artist, or on a larger scale how it has affected the creative arts in the region.
Transient Portrait I
Nature seems to occupy a significant role in Khan’s work. Mountainous terrains, bodies of water, or the abundance of foliage cascade through the frame and in some cases encompass man-made spaces as seen in “Isolation I” and “Isolation II”. By doing so the artist reveals the majesty or the dominating character of nature over man, as the bridges and city sight are seen to be overpowered by it. In his hand-stamped pieces, he moves further away from literal human representation. These pieces are more enigmatic and open to several interpretations.
Isolation II
The show caters to both individuals with traditional and contemporary artistic tastes. The works have all the grace of Mughal-style illustrations, alongwith the playfulness and modernism of digital collage. The work very aptly deals with audiences that are skeptical of digital prints as a legitimate form of art. The idea of works being replicated and hence not being one of a kind, makes many unwilling to accept it. However, Khan’s treatment of his images can set those minds at ease, as he presents prints that can easily be confused for intricate paintings, retaining the personal touch of handmade works of art and subsequently the appeal that is attached to them. This is done through the artist’s choice of paper as well as the minute details that give the impression of hard labour normally associated with handmade pieces.
From the visuals to technique, the show displayed a wide range, revealing the multi-faceted nature of the artist’s practice and presenting the creative mind to be anything but stagnant. Thus, the display proves to be a refreshing change from solo shows that have artworks with large selections of very similar paintings, due to a strict adherence to a theme. Khan’s solo with its variety of hand-stamped, etchings and digital prints, seems like a more genuine representation of his ideas, that change or evolve with his experiences and the inevitable influences of society and time.
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