Sarah Imran Ali Roll Number: 164 4th Year-Painting Major

WHAT IS PAKISTANI ART? Being a student of fine art, Ive heard the term Pakistani art one too many times, never really thinking about what it means. It instantly makes one wonder whether its art from Pakistan or art created by a Pakistani artist. The answer I believe is still ambiguous regardless of the option you pick. Having grown up in a city rich in Mughal culture, Lahore, I have always been surrounded by art. Whether it was the play based on the life story of Anarkali, a field trip to Jehangirs tomb, watching Naheed Siddiques feet move to the beat of tablas or just looking at the miniature paintings hanging in my grandparents lounge, Ive always been influenced by the art around me, the art I always referred to as Pakistani. Today, I sit here wondering whether I have the right to call any of it my very own, for there is no specific criteria the contemporary world provides us with to classify our work as Pakistani. Do we still claim the miniature paintings the Mughals left us with as Pakistani, whereas the Indians can rightly call it theirs too? Is it then the technique that we proudly show off as our own although contemporary miniature artists have changed its original meaning almost completely for instance local artist such as Aakif Suri and Sajid Khan,use the traditional miniature painting technique but makes massive paintings somewhat eliminating the original barriers of miniature art. Could we be referring to the traditional subject matter used by these artists? Or are we blinding ourselves by ignoring all the miniature work that is being produced around us in the 21st century, a time period with colleges like my own, the National College of Arts that are dedicated to helping students understand the essence of the past, but produce work that on many levels cannot be related to classical miniature. Artists like Mudassar Manzoor, Shazia Sikander, Ayesha Durrani, and Huma Mulji all produce pieces that revive the art of miniature paintings, deal with the question of identity in reference to politics and culture and address the issue of gender, age and personal issues through their work. I am in no way claiming miniature painting as the only kind of art produced in Pakistan, today the Pakistani art scene is very similar to the work produced worldwide and include many other forms such as calligraphy, painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation art, video and media art etc. All these art forms draw their inspirations from history and from the modernity of expression. The Pakistani artist, like those found anywhere else in the world seeks to recreate text in a modern context. Why then does it leave us with no room to call any of it our own? Another question arises when one thinks of Pakistani art, are we as Pakistanis referring to anyone who belongs to the country, even if he/she lives elsewhere as a Pakistani artist? Will we then also refer to their work as Pakistani art? In my opinion this is our mandate for judging an art piece and calling it Pakistani not realizing that these artists no longer live in this country and are no longer subjected to, the bad or the good on goings that they so confidently speak off. It also however varies from artist to artist, some of whom choose to use the title of a Pakistani artist, not only because of their affiliation with or love for the country but also for promotional and popularity basis. Whereas others, slowly move as far away from the Pakistani art scene and the title of being a Pakistani artist because of the fear of being crushed and looked down upon in a contemporary world. Lets take the example of two renowned Pakistani artists who purely based on my opinion fit perfectly in both these categories. Shazia Siqander currently living in New York was educated and brought up in Pakistan, she received a high level of international recognition and her subject matter slowly changed from what could be called purely cultural to something totally relatable to the Western World alone. She slowly moved away from what was her own, and although still carries the label of a Pakistani artist, cannot really be judged as exactly that on the basis of her work. Another such example could be the work of Saira Wasim another artist from Lahore, Pakistan currently living in the United States, commenting on devastating politics. Saira's pet political topics are commenting on the vast chasm that exists between the West and the Islamic world, repression within Islamic world, and the new Western cultural imperialism. It is when one looks at leading artists like these that one realizes they really cant be called Pakistani artists at all. In conclusion, there is no correct answer or fair criteria by which one can judge what Pakistani art really is. The subject remains open to individual analysis and interpretation. In my opinion, the closest we can possibly get to calling a piece of art Pakistani is by assessing where the art originates from and what the artist himself wants to refer to his work as, i.e. take up the title of being known as a Pakistani artist or not. I say this because the contemporary art world is fast paced and although the past is always a great subject to reference or study, replicas are not really appreciated. The best criteria, although

Sarah Imran Ali Roll Number: 164 4th Year-Painting Major

conflicted in its nature would be calling an artist who chooses to be called Pakistani, regardless of how long he may have resided in the country itself, furthermore referring to his work as Pakistani art, although there is no definite way to establish or call any form of art truly Pakistani.