“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)
Everywhere in the World artist’s voice is considered important in giving shape to society and art is considered to be useful in bringing change. Unfortunately, in Pakistan contemporary art failed to get that status, either because the artists didn’t respond to their time, events and occurrences or the art itself remained inaccessible for the majority of the people limiting itself to art institutions. “Hum jo tareek rahon mein mare gaye” (We who were slain in the dark alleys) was a public art display of installation and participatory performance launched on March 223rd 2015 at Bagh e Jinah Lahore by Awami Art Collective, a group of artists and activists who came together with an ambition to reclaim public space. This new discourse (in Pakistan) of public art is very promising because of its logical parting from committed autonomous art. Both the display and Awami Art Collective is a good news for artists, public and art scene in Pakistan, let’s see how and why:
Time and Space
An artwork becomes great because of its relevance to its time and space. Where, when and why it was created and displayed, this installation is relevant in every way. What is more relevant in Pakistan than the terrorism and violence which is also happening in public spaces? So curating a public display is a logical and smart move. The work was conceived after APS attack and there is no better time to respond to it than now.
Participation
The work becomes more than just a display when it demands public engagement and participation. The audience in this case was asked to walk in, through and around the installation and that walk led them to a circle where they were asked to light incents to commemorate the death of thousands of innocents died in the terror attacks. Thus the work becomes an experience rather than a commodity. Violence is part of everyday life in Pakistan, everyone is affected by it one way or the other and what better way to address it than engage everyone.
Participation in and through art has been used as a widely effective medium for the social change. The discourse of participatory/socially engaged art is common in the West and has been assigned many catchphrases such as relational aesthetics, dialogic art, collaborative art, interventionist art, littoral art etc. But it’s great to see that artists in Pakistan are breaking away from the traditional aesthetics and expectations and are looking for affective media and methods for communicating the ideas whether they fall under one of these categories or not.
The spectacle itself
Now comes the question of aesthetic. Public art is often criticized for its lack of attention on the spectacle. The fact that art cannot be considered art unless it also provides aesthetic pleasure and experience makes most of the political and socially engaged artworks fall out of the category of art. But in the case of We Who were slain in Dark Alleys I as an artist not for once felt that it was not aesthetically strong. Although it was nothing like the traditional white cube, gallery aesthetics but was visually interesting and stimulating. For me it was more than just a visual experience as I could smell the work even before I saw it, yes the smell of incents led me to the display which was a round installation and the public was asked to walk through the circular alley that led them to the centre where people burned fragrant sticks. I started the walk very casually not knowing what to expect, reading the paper flags above, that had names and dates of the victims of terror attacks. But this walk ended with a very heavy heart and inside the circle I sat on the ground just looking at the children lighting the fragrant sticks and the smoke. It was beautiful and sad at the same time.
This work was sublime but not in a traditional way and I believe that artworks like these can really bridge the gap between the aesthetics of the privileged and the popular visual culture. Projects such as this have a potential to elevate the intellect and aesthetics and the public engagement itself can lead to the acceptance of art in this rigid society.
Activism
Whether or not this work was created with political ambition or to transform the way art is being created and seen, I still see it as a political work. The concerns raised by this artwork in a country plagued with violence and where any public gathering becomes a dangerous event, this installation is a powerful political gesture. Also to art institutions in Pakistan this art work may have come as a shock of the new as it addresses the hierarchy of the art by taking it out of the art bubble and presenting it as an experience for anyone and everyone. And like I said earlier this new relationship of art and public will change the way art is seen and interpreted in this context.
Awami Art Collective
I approached Farida Batool (One of the founding members of Awami Art Collective) to know more about the Collective and she generously agreed to talk to me. The group was formed with the debates and discussions of a few individuals who had an interest to do something in public space for people. Then APS happened, that’s when they conceived the work. Some of the active members of this collective include Mohsin Shafi, Rahim ul Haq and Raza Khan. The collective has plans to hold more public art displays. My major concern about public art, that demands social inclusion is that it can be instrumentalized very easily by the state so artists have to constantly be cautious of the impact their art work has on public. Another concern is the question of the authorship that arises with creative collaboration and participatory art which the collective will have to deal with. One of the discontents of such collaborative projects is that they are often not considered works but become social and public events.
I have used this installation as an example for my students to share genuine concerns about whether art can affect social and political change? I hope that this work and the collective will open a debate in Pakistan among art institutions about the expectations and responsibilities of artist, art, curators and art institutions. I do not doubt the power of visual, imagination and collectiveness and I really believe if as artists we start to exercise that power we definitely can change something.
All the images used have been taken from Awami Art Collective facebook page. You can find out more about the Collective and its activities here: https://www.facebook.com/awamiart?fref=ts
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