KARACHI – Munawar Ali Syed’s exhibition of sculptures titled ‘Reloaded’ is running at the Chawkandi Art gallery until March 2, a press release issued by the gallery said. Syed’s work addresses the issues one faces while living in a big city – proliferation of mass media, diaspora, identity, individuality, social hierarchy, social stigma and social pressure. These are the facts of urban life that affect the masses and make them question the identity of individuals.
“I was watching the TV one night as I tried removing small pieces of meat stuck between my teeth. I switched to different news channels where attractive anchors either discussed how the USA and the international community are not satisfied with Pakistan’s role in the war on terror, or relayed news of a drone attack in the country or a suicide bomb blast with live pictures,” Syed said.
“I felt pain and tasted blood in my mouth at that moment, realising that those pieces of meat are stuck so deep that all my efforts to remove them are in vain. My unconscious was trying to relate those images of beautiful news presenters with all this terror and war on terror activity, and our role in all of that,” he explained.
Those unconscious thoughts transformed either into faces with an ordinary toothpick or into dual relief in his recent work, and he wants the viewers to be a part of that confusion and ambiguity.
Photos courtesy Chawkandi Art gallery
