Blurb 2: Hanging Fire

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Muhammad Javed                                                                                                10/4/09

This Sunday, I attended the Asia Society museum to explore the exhibit, “Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan.” The title “Hanging Fire” is perfect to describe the many pieces hanged and displayed. Each work contained a inner fire, an intensity, an astonishing perspective that I did not know my country possessed.

At the entrance of the display was a whole wall which captures the 62 years of history the country has seen. But the fascination begins when the door to the gallery is opened and right in front of you is a burnt canvas collage titled, “No Two Burns Are the Same.” The artist Ali Raza uses burnt newspaper ads and his technique “ashistory” to create this unique form of art. The collage was strikingly sad, yet spectacularly made. Moving on, the eye is caught by the vibrant “Red Carpet.” From far away, the work looks like a marvelous hand-made rug, but going closer a microcosm of small images is observed. These images depict a slaughterhouse in Lahore, Pakistan and the terrifying things that go on there. The artist writes, “The Red Carpet, just like the hundreds of tiny images gives us a myriad of perspective on culture, visual perception, violence and ultimately life itself.” Another work worth mentioning in my opinion is the Ride II, a life-size statue of the mythological Buraq—a winged-women-horse. There is much speculation about the source of this work, but what is remarkable is how the artist Hamra Abbas creates this captivating piece from fiberglass. However, what stunned me are the missing and empty eyes. Abbas has put so much details into everything but the eyes are simply left as a yellow circle. Nonetheless, the work comes to life with its vivacious red color and overall craftsmanship.

I was in the gallery for over two hours and totally lost track of time to the point that the guards had to escort me out of the building because they were about to lock the front doors.  Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan was truly a unique experience.