[A Rainbow of Y/Our Own I Canvas Gallery I Karachi I November 6 – 15]

A young artist’s take on society’s inconsistencies

Apparition — courtesy Canvas Gallery

Affectionately known as Mirchi and a graduate of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Muhammad Ali exhibited his artistic talent as early as his thesis show. His latest exhibition features a brilliant display of oil paintings, each pulling the viewer in with its rich and vibrant colour palette. One is immediately aware of the sheer use of imagination, emanating from within the gallery space. The show, in fact, offers everything one would expect from this talented multidisciplinary artist.

Ali’s characters range from the charismatic Madam Noor Jehan to the ever controversial Meera and from the alluring Indian actor Deepika Padukone to the infamous General (retd) Ziaul Haq, a man who was impervious to anything even remotely artistic. Each of these characters plays its role in Ali’s very own world of Bollywood dreams and Lollywood drama, the spice of Pakistani politics and the fervour of everyday life. He uses popular faces because he feels that society is used to seeing them in particular roles and, therefore, these will not offend even the most sensitive of viewers.

In most cases, his work is not a commentary on the public figures themselves. He, instead, has employed them as vessels to promote his own statements and viewpoints. He feels that he can speak about a range of topics, from religion to sex, in a sophisticated manner, by associating these topics with public figures presented in a particular guise. Another reason why he chooses to work with found imagery is the lack of models who would feel comfortable posing in such elaborate manner as he requires for his work.

The show is based on emotions and the grey areas therein; “Nothing is ever black or white,” Ali says. He feels society operates under conflicting emotions — no one is ever truly just happy or sad. There are various factors that add to this, especially the people we choose to have in our lives. We tend to keep searching for a better version of what we already possess, feeling unsatisfied and let down.

Beauty With A Chance Of Meatballs — courtesy Canvas Gallery

There is no mistaking the skill with which Ali paints. From the choice of his subject to his colour scheme, he makes the canvas come alive, giving us insights into his very creative mind. He proudly calls himself a feminist and therefrom stem works such as Fruit Chaat. In this work, a graceful Noor Jehan is depicted reclining, her ample figure clad in a pink sari. She is surrounded by a variety of ripe fruits including a half-cut melon. The inspiration for the work comes from a variety of SMS jokes. One joke in particular – “women are like fruits, each with her own flavour, but men would prefer fruit chaat” – irked the artist into starting this piece.

One may ask why then he still chooses to portray a woman surrounded by a mix of fruits in response to a sexist joke. According to Ali, the painting is not a manifestation of the joke but rather a commentary on the nature of society and how it chooses to view things. Upon closer inspection, the female form dominates the painting and the fruits appear as bodily excretions; the artist compares them to flesh and they seem to portray human decay. It is an amalgamation of different forms of beauty which are meant to engage and repulse simultaneously.

Walking through the show, one may feel that the artist has simply relied on shocking visuals and pure aesthetics to garner attention. Ali, however, is one step ahead of his viewers. Nothing in his work is accidental or dictated by commercial tactics. He has chosen each element with precision and has his reasons for utilising it. His choice of medium, rendered in high renaissance style, speaks of his own frustrations. The painstaking method of applying paint to achieve a finished product forces the artist to be patient in order to manipulate the medium across the canvas, leaving no room for error. Each piece might have taken three to four months to complete. When asked why he chooses not to work with looser and bolder strokes which may help speed up his process, he replies, “those strokes are almost therapeutic; I’d rather not lose the frustration that drives my work”.

Death By Chocolate — courtesy Canvas Gallery

remains open to the idea, though, as can be seen in one of his paintings titled Apparition. Here he has chosen to paint military dictator Haq, a man he feels is the reason for the forced Islamisation and degradation of the minorities. He has painted Haq in many layers, using thick paint which he kept applying and removing as if by this very act he could erase the man from history itself. Being a voracious reader, Ali has learnt the history of the veil, which he deems as a political rather than a religious tool used by those in power to strip women of the freedom of choice. In the painting, the general is shown lowering a flimsy veil over his head.

Another work, Death by Chocolate, carries a similar theme. It depicts how, in Ali’s terms, “the nation continues to banquet while the country is plagued by bloodshed”. He feels that our desensitisation towards pain and suffering say a lot about us as a society. The corpse shown in the painting is meant to be the body of someone killed in sectarian violence.

Two other paintings – No Place like Home and Happily Ever After – talk about dysfunctional relationships and the lack of intimacy. The first of the two shows a forlorn figure sitting on a couch, with a dark cloud looming above her head, drenching her within the confines of her home. It shows how even an environment we tend to presume as safe may harbour secrets such as verbal, physical and emotional abuse. The second one shows a couple embraced in a moment of passion, with the female figure in a state of indifference, her hands nailed to the man’s back. Ali says he is exploring the darker side of fairy tales and Disney classics that we have grown up with and is showing that reality is quite different from what we expect it to be. The idea of being physically nailed down, trapped not just emotionally but sexually as well, is a rampant feeling in our society but we are cautioned not to speak about it.

Happily Ever After — courtesy Canvas Gallery

Beauty with a Chance of Meatballs, Bollywood star Padukone is shown in an attractive pose yet at the same time stripped of her seductiveness. Posing with a flat chest and covered in pasta and meatballs, her presence becomes de-objectified and highlights toxicity or impurity in relationships. The idea of the slimy, slithery pasta is Ali’s take on the debasement experienced in some forms of sexual desires. Another actor unable to escape Ali’s imaginative grasp is Ranveer Singh, shown perched happily on a toilet, surrounded by cherubs. The piece is titled Immaculate Ejection. The idea behind this piece is to observe a man in his most natural act, away from society’s imposed stereotypical status of a demigod, which Ali feels is flung too freely upon celebrities of Singh’s stature.

Ali doesn’t believe in preliminary sketches; his paintings come together in his mind and then he quickly jots down the idea in words. From there on, he starts collecting found imagery to piece them together step by step, giving life to his imagination. He is known for being flamboyant and verbose and enjoys stepping over the line, unhesitatant in expressing his views — no matter how outrageous or explicit. Ali invites his audience to peel back the many layers of his work, allowing them a peek at his personal and artistic vulnerability, which he has projected throughout the show.