Written by: Hamad Ali
Posted on: February 12, 2020 | 
IPAF From Above (photo credits to Bilal Danish)
For an event that pledges a thematic commitment to the re-imagination of the city of Karachi, the historic and ever-changing face of the Nadirshaw Eduljee Dinshaw (NED) City Campus served as a fitting venue for the International Public Art Festival (IPAF). In a few short weeks, the seemingly technical university was reimagined as a museum, a gallery, and a home for different tales and ideas of what it means to be from Karachi.
International Public Art Festival (IPAF) is a project of “I AM KARACHI”, an organization that is working to rebuild the diverse social and cultural fabric of the city. IPAF 2020 was inaugurated on 7th February 2020 with works of 60+ visual artists, architects, engineers, designers, social scientists, and filmmakers contributing to it. Under the curatorial supervision of Sohail Zuberi, Humayun Memon, and Ali Reza Dossal, the heritage site of the iconic NED City Campus, situated in the vibrant center of Saddar, was transformed into a space of enquiry, engagement, and collaboration.
L to R Ali Reza Dosal, Humayun Memon, Sohail Zuberi (photo credits to Bilal Danish)
Mr. Amin Hashwani, president of “I AM KARACHI”, addressed the audience during the inauguration by talking about the importance of public art in Karachi, and his efforts towards the rejuvenation of the city’s cultural fabric. Anna Ruffino, Consul General Italy and special guest, talked about the Italian collaboration which started the festival; artist Guiseppe Percavati was commissioned to paint the world’s tallest mural in Karachi in 2019, which marked the beginning of IPAF. Mr. Noman Ahmed, Dean of NED, said that, despite being known as an engineering school, the university had produced many talented and respected artists such as Rasheed Araeen.
Guiseppe Percavati's Mural (photo credits to IPAF)
This year’s theme was ‘Karachi Ki Khoj (Search for Karachi): (Re)defining the Metropolis’. The exhibit delved into themes of inclusion, community, popular culture, migration, identity, home, and representation.
Sarmad Hashmi’s work engaged the visitors by allowing them to become contributors in the piece. His line-drawing illustrations invited everyone to fill in color in them, giving it a collective taste of inclusivity. Ansha Memon’s interactive, ever-evolving installation made up of rivets and wooden planks tempted everyone to shift the pieces and change its form. However, despite the constant readjustments, the structure changed in a very organic manner, which is reminiscent of the ever-changing demographics of Karachi.
Sarmad Hashmi's Art Installation (photo credits to Humayun Memon)
Hussain Khalid’s sound installation titled ‘A Seat at the Table’, was a fascinating inquiry into his parents’ personal experiences and histories within the city. One is expected to sit at his family table and listen to the conversation of his elders. Deeply personal, the installation was present on the first-floor terrace, giving a vantage point to view other artists’ works while simultaneously bombarding the viewer with the words of an authoritative figure. This amalgam provided an interesting juxtaposition of the artist and the citizen’s personal and public spheres.
A Seat at the Table (photo credits to Humayun Memon)
Haider Ali told ancient stories that one hears whilst visiting the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, and how their relationship to, and navigation of the shrine, changed with the site’s surroundings. Ali replicates the shrine as line drawings with black metal wires, casting elongated shadows upon the walls like distorted histories and realities of devotees.
Haider Ali's Exhibit (photo credits to Humayun Memon)
Jean Claude Brutch’s archival photographs were a testament to the visual history of the vibrant, hand-painted billboards which stood tall in the early days of the city’s development. Hinting at the emergence of the digital age, these photographs made statements about the urgency of good production, and its importance for the commercial sectors of the city. Similarly, Ayessha Qureshi’s video installation had photographs playing on loop of the empty billboard’s structural grids, creating a fascinating dichotomy between the government interventions within the city and artistic practice to reclaim it.
Jean Claude Brutch's Billboard Photographs (photo credits to Humayun Memon)
Initiatives like IPAF are important interventions into the city’s rich cultural and artistic landscape. Such exhibitions come with a responsibility to include, listen, and project the voices of the unheard, the everyday and the mundane. According to Zuberi, the aim is to bring art to an audience that would otherwise be reluctant to consume it. IPAF is set to offer shared and familiar images to build social cohesion, contribute to much needed civic pride, and help forge new and exciting identities in the city of Karachi.
IPAF will continue at NED City Campus till February 16th.
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