Written by: Varda Nisar
Posted on: April 25, 2019 | 
| 中文
Curtain with Red Flowers by Farazeh Syed
It is rare for a two-person exhibition to check more than one box of commonalities between the artists. More often than not, the similarities or even differences tend to be slightly superficial. That, however, is not the case with “There Is No Them,” currently on view at the Sanat Gallery, Karachi. In the works of Mohsin Shafi and Farazeh Syed, one is able to see the multiple levels on which the two artists are in sync with each other.
In Mohsin’s work, you witness his signature style of collages, where he replicates layer upon layer of dream-like images. There is an in-depth exploration of characters that one encounters in everyday life, and what would remain if one peeled off their skin. Mohsin’s work can’t just be considered as contemporary art, since each of his pieces ends up being a performance – with the frames playing an equally important part. Even the titles become significant when attempting to understand the artist’s intention in each piece. In “A groovy kind of love,” three characters take center-stage. However, their sexuality and identity are left to the viewer’s imagination. In “Oh dear, making sense isn’t what we are really about,” one is able to see the chaos that surrounds the two characters. The visual layering further complicates their story while also giving them a colorful personality, but one that remains difficult to decipher.
A similar whimsical quality can be found in the titles of Farazeh’s work. Moreover, in many of the works one can even see a collage-like composition. But while in Mohsin’s work, this technique is used to comment on the nature of humans and his own dreams, in her work, it tends to bring into focus the female character. The different elements come together to form a narrative in which the female protagonist takes charge. In “The Tiger under my Feet,” the image of nawabs posing for a photograph recedes into the background while the female character reclining on her red sofa with a tiger skin under her feet, takes the dominant position.
The two artists are also tied together by the portrayal of animals in their works. For Mohsin, they are a means to control and recreate a world of his own, while Farazeh leaves the task of finding a narrative for her choice of animal on the viewer – in her case, the repetitive usage of a monkey. Positioned next to the strong female protagonist, one can not help but think whether the monkey is a comment on the opposite gender, perhaps alluding to a lack of similar evolution? In “At the Birth of Venus,” the strength of the female character shines through, as she stands at one corner of the canvas, draped in red, serene, confident and calm, while the other side features a male character donning shorts, showcasing his muscles and strength, and coming across as nothing but brawn in comparison.
Both the artists tap into the complexities of gender, and challenge the multiple notions attached to concepts of sexuality. It is this that ultimately makes the work of the two artists come together, in harmony with each other.
You may also like:
