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Artline Brave New World Young artists lending a new dimension to the traditional art of miniature need to tread with care. By Salwat Ali
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Acclaimed as both radical innovators and heirs to tradition, the contemporary miniature painters are our new wonder artists. Their pasteboards (wasli) are crammed with visual incident of a kind that abounds, unfocused, in the world around us, but is here converted to artistic purpose. The conversion to art of this commonplace material is said to carry with it, or at least to imply, some profound commentary on the nature of modern life. Here are the real objects of our civilisation and here is a new generation of artist's intent upon dealing with them, openly and honestly - or so we are invited to believe. Recently, a number of galleries in Karachi mounted group exhibitions of miniature art, almost simultaneously. Contemporary miniature was on view at Chawkandi Art and Canvas, while copies of classical miniatures, re-mixes inspired by Mughal subjects, folk art, Persian poetry and paintings of Islamic Africa were shown at The Art Gallery and Gulmohar Art Gallery. This surfeit of miniature may have attracted wide viewership but it also exposes some conceptual complexities the genre needs to guard against if it is to maintain its popularity level. Unlike other developments in art issuing from western movements, the contemporary miniature is a redefinition of an eastern art form, comprising the Mughal and Persian models. As homegrown indigenous art, it needs to be cherished, encouraged and to some extent monitored to ensure quality in content and form. To focus on religion, socio-cultural, geo-political and gender issues is in vogue and miniature painters seem to be competing with the mass media in this portrayal of reality. They are trying to establish the real, the immediate and the recognisable at the very centre of their artistic expression without realising that the electronic and print media, film and television are already doing a far better and more authentic job of it. Scrambled imagery disguised as innovation cannot cover up for a lack of ideas and intuition. The mass media has already overwhelmed consumers with flashy designer products and grim images of terrorism, war, death, famine and gross violation of human rights. Recycling this material through another visual medium not only dilutes impact but breeds monotony in an already desensitised public. Instead of a complex projection of critical issues, the resolution of conflicts also needs to be addressed. There are positive aspects in life and to uplift human kind is one of the purposes of art. Contemporary miniatures are receiving considerable applause abroad and some seem destined for mainly foreign audiences, due to their concept and imagery. Their expressive impulses emanate not from original perception of common objects, but from devices already widely used, often with great ingenuity and finesse, by sophisticated, fine and commercial artists in the west. Moreover, a certain sense of responsibility needs to be exercised when paintings are exhibited for public viewing or consumption. If artists are entitled to freedom of expression, viewers also have the right to accept or reject what they do not understand. Intimidating audiences with convoluted imagery or inundating them with ambiguous art is a disservice to the onlooker. Unfortunately, passive viewership encourages the production of sub-standard, gruesome or graceless art. Audiences need to exercise their rights and voice their opinions in this regard. Gallery curators and directors can raise the bar by imposing quality control and accepting artworks only if they conform to certain prescribed standards. The recent display of modern miniature at Chawkandi Art was by four young artists who graduated in 2003-4 and have already shown their work in selected exhibitions at home and abroad. Rather than break new ground, the artists continued to dwell on themes they had begun exploring in their earlier work and their progress seemed to be slow. Mohammed Zeeshan is still addressing political, social, religious and cultural issues with the potent "gun image" as the principal agent of terror and destruction. Hajrah Yousaf's narrative, as before, eluded easy translation but her aesthetic vocabulary of organic elements was appealing. Mariam Irfan painted festive occasions dotted with scavenger crows. Shoaib Mehmood focused on the domination of brand culture amongst youngsters; beyond that, his imagery was open to conjecture. Fine working skills and some modern improvisations of conventional Mughal imagery were perhaps the most positive features of this show. Two young ladies, Shehrbano Qizilbash, currently based in Jordan, and Tazeen Qayyum, coordinator at SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Collective) Toronto, showed their recent work at Canvas. Shehrbano weaves her narrative around the veil and the female nude. Her concepts regarding women's emancipation still seem to be evolving. Images of dead insects arranged like repeat patterns of textile designs do not just juxtapose the ugly and the beautiful but were also meant to infer the mindless decimation of the human race through wars, nuclear explosions, terrorism, etc. Incorporating cockroaches within the refined art of miniature is rather gross but the work thrives on shock value. Working
in the manner of the old masters of the miniature, assembling new
compositions with classical elements or copying the European Orientalists
constitutes another chapter of the modern miniature. A venerable
discipline should be remodelled with care. While there are some
excellent works in this regard, there are also many tasteless ones.
These garish images may sell well, but is this art in the true sense? |
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E-mail: newsline@cyber.net.pk
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