ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN YOULIN MAGAZINE
Noor Ahmed has curated “Homeground”, a group exhibition with Marium M. Habib, Maryam Hina Hasnain, Divya Sharma, and Chudamani Clowes of the Neulinge Collective. Originally based in The United Kingdom, after months of working closely with Ahmed, the artists created a body of work that is being displayed at ArtChowk Gallery in Karachi. These female artists hail from various regions of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Their shared histories of experiencing diaspora and migration had created a common ground for Ahmed to highlight themes pertaining to global politics specifically focused on women of colour. Visual investigations by the artists are based on their indigenous ancestries, using form, colour and narrative as conceptual anchors. A psychological and anthropological examination of the self is seen through an anthology of complex emotions that describe attachment, memory, belonging and familial relationships.
The spectrum of colours at play in Chudamani Clowes paintings have intertwining forms that are infused with a visual analogy of coral reefs. In her view, traces of history can be found within these fossilized objects dating back centuries. Similarly, the artist uses a family aerogramme as a launching pad for her work, using it as an archived experience and memory. “The Unexpected Letter” is a mural positioned to resemble the aerogramme, its edges and the crumpling of the canvas mimic the tactile nature of paper. The energy bounces towards the viewer in a multiplicity of directions, the weight of the installation surrounding the viewer as if entering into her memories. Following painterly lines of merging blues, yellows and earthy hues reveal a mapping of moments being experienced by the artist immersed in the aerogramme. In the painting “Surprise”, there are oscillations of colours creating a swirl, and drifting sections of colour with details of mark making and texture that keep the viewer mesmerised.
The transient nature of Divya Sharma's installation “The Shape of Identity”, has the appearance of a tapestry with a series of recessions that trigger the imagination. The artist’s experience of adapting to the ephemeral nature of migration is seen through the exploration of the river. The overwhelming blue colour field has been tightly woven together with intricate detailing of textile and thread. There are volcanic movements with hints of cadmium red that resemble molten material, the falling of the tapestry creates weight and density that is paired with a purposely designed void, creating an interruption paired with ropes that spreads outside the picture plane, resembling the tearing of tissue. The artist is aware of the intangibility of the self and the piece permeates a surge of emotions. The detailing comes together resembling a roaring floodgate at the height of its threshold dominating the space. The sight of the installation stays with the viewer, reminding them of mysterious distant lands recorded on forgotten maps.
The gentility of Maryam Hina Hasnain’s triptych “Blue Print” has layers of soft ink washes carefully painted, enhancing the fragility of the tracking paper. The control with which she has placed patterns and motifs in the shape of a totem or heritage tile, can be associated with multiple historical cultures. In a kind of personalised hierography, the artist uses these visual elements to visualise the topography of the ages. These pieces are curated to be illuminated by natural light, highlighting layers compressed between forms echoed by drips, washes and bleeds, using bleaching agents to further reduce the opacity of colour. The blue tones have a celestial quality, while the green can be read as moss peeking through the crevices of these seemingly ancient structures. The meeting of colour and line creates the feeling of balance that speaks of the tension and combative nature of gravity, while the tracing paper undergoes its own transition under the weight of the ink and bleach. These painting techniques carry an emotive language that reflects on the demarcation of land and its evolution.
The representational forms used to create a personal narrative by Marium M Habib in “Juloos”, focus on the ritualisation of belonging and identity. The value of a spiritual experience can transform into a state of being, an anchor to our core self that is reflected back to the artist in this mural painting. The longing for familial connection can be viewed as a shared experience of belief and community, coming together in devout participation. The selection of this particular scene as a valuable memory has been commemorated by the artist through the painting. Revisiting it through the act of painting creates an experience that resonates with a deep attachment to her community. Contrasting to the night scene of the previous painting, “Far Away (Fifty-One Kilometres)”, depicts a bright sunny day where the artist is viewing a community residing in indigenous regions away from the main city. In her view, the sprawling gentrification of these distant shores accessible only through a paved road, creates disruptions to the natural landscape.
Ahmed has collected experiences from each artist, creating discussions that are relatable and immersive for the viewer. The gallery space transforms with the live edges of the canvas as artworks are deliberately unframed and hung, using industrial wire in order to reveal the immediacy of the work bringing it into the present. The show continues till 25th August, 2022.
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