Mariam Saeed Khan (MSK): Without any formal training, you managed to surmount many challenges in the the world of the arts. How important was self-education for you?
Omar Gilani: (OG)I feel that most education is self-education; formal training can only place you in the correct environment, with mentors and guides. But ultimately the learning part of it is up to the student. I know many people – including myself in Engineering school – who were being formally trained but didn’t get much out of it because they didn’t care. Regarding my art education, I did toy with the idea of going to art school, but I don’t think it would have made a whole lot of difference. Especially with the internet, it’s now possible to get a world-class education without ever leaving your house.
MSK: Let’s begin with your childhood and talk about your journey and transition. Describe how it was for you as a child.
OG: I loved a bunch of things, not just drawing and reading, but lots of mischief and play as well. In school I was in detention a lot. I remember watching Gulgee sahib paint when I was a kid, and it was enchanting, almost like he was in a trance. And he was very free-spirited, something that I didn’t see a lot of, while growing up in Peshawar. I think that stuck with me.
I don’t really have favourites from my work. I’m more about the process, and the things I’ve learned, rather than the end result, and thinking back, I was like that as a kid too. Once the drawing was done, I just moved on to something else. I used to love drawing the Ninja Turtles!
'One fine day in the fields'
MSK: Your roots are from Peshawar. Is the artwork that centres upon cool Peshawari young men and women done to break the negative stereotypes?
OG: Not really. I’m not trying to make any political statements, although that might be inevitable because of the background. I’m just trying to describe things as I see them.
MSK: When Omar Gillani is not working on his art, is he roaming around in urban spaces to gather inspiration? And do you believe traveling makes one think out of the box?
OG: I love roaming around. Unstructured walks are one of my favorite hobbies. I’ll see some simple thing, like the way a cat sits on a wall, or a couple chatting with each other, or a piece of rusted machinery with exposed wiring, and it’ll trigger ideas that wouldn’t have come to me had I been sitting in a room by myself.
'Cyborg beggar'
“I watched Patari grow from an idea to an amazing company in a matter of a few years”
MSK: Do you think studying engineering made you think and focus more clearly,rather being all over the place in terms of the creative zone? For instance, singer and actor Fawad Khan’s background is also in engineering…
OG: I think so. It’s also made me a little cavalier, in that I’m not too concerned about being considered a ‘good artist’ or a ‘bad artist’ according to the prescribed definitions that you’d find within artistic circles. Instead, I treat painting almost as engineering design problems, which works better for me.
MSK: If you had to rate your artistic creations, which one is your favourite and which one is the least so? Also, do you research and read about them or does it all just occur to you naturally? Is there a playlist or some specific thing that you do before you begin creating your art?
OG: I don’t really have favourites. Each one is a specific journey that teaches me particular things, and so I appreciate them all. One of my favorites is the ‘Cyborg Beggar’, mostly because it turned out exactly how I had imagined it.
I usually have some music playing in the background, and I’ve found it does affect how I approach the process.
MSK: It seems like you make a conscious effort to showcase Pakistan’s history and roots through cultural images and surrealist forms. Do you find some inspiration in what Salvador Dali did?
OG: That’s a great compliment, putting me and Dali sahib in the same sentence! But he was a surrealist and I’m not. I do try to present a unique vision of Pakistan, and I do try to do work that is quirky/unique, and progressive, so in that sense there are perhaps some parallels.
MSK: Given an opportunity, would you work as an illustrator to design book covers – because the publishing industry has a great demand for people like you, who are unconventional in their methods?
OG: Yes. I’m working on a few book covers for an Australian Sci-fi/fantasy series right now, actually.
MSK: There is a pattern or more like a signature aspect to your illustrations where you depict futuristic scenes in a Pakistani context. What is the idea here?
OG: I feel like we’ve been typecast as this backward, terrorist state, which is unfortunate. We’ve even started believing that ourselves. Yet there is a rich, millennia old culture that is grossly underrepresented, and that’s what I enjoy exploring in my work. I do it from the particular lens of sci-fi/fantasy because of personal interest.
MSK: What is more difficult to do – making portraits, futuristic scenes or designs for 2D games?
OG: They’re all challenging in their own ways. I think portraiture might be the most difficult, because the margin for error is less, but it’s also the most rewarding and fun.
MSK: Do you ever say ‘no’ to any clients? Have there been any significant negative experiences with your work?
OG: So far it’s been okay. At the start, I was accepting all sorts of projects, recently I’m privileged in that I can choose what to work on. But people are by and large respectful. A bigger issue in Pakistan is the lack of professionalism and even a lack of payment! And there is a general disregard for the art and design field from the corporate sector. That’s all changing though – which is great.
MSK: How was the response of the audience at Lahore Music Meet earlier this year?
OG: Pretty good! I was exhibiting with some great artists, and overall the exhibition had a great vibe. It was the first time I could see strangers react to my art, which was a lot of fun.
MSK: How has the journey with Patari been? What’s next for Omar?
OG: Before Patari was even conceived, its co-founder Khalid Bajwa and I used to brainstorm together, for hours on end, on a variety of topics, and so I watched Patari grow from an idea to an amazing company in a matter of a few years. It’s been great working with them and being involved in their projects. They have a positive spirit and can-do attitude, which is a rarity and wonderful to be around.
AainBaainShaain was a fun little experiment, and although it never really took off, it taught me a lot about design, branding, and out-of-the-box thinking in a desi context. As for what’s next, there are a few projects lined up based around the Pakistan+ series, which should be pretty interesting!
MSK: Define Omar Gillani in 3 words.
OG: Wanderer, curious, foodie.
MSK: Do you have any advice for anspiring digital artists and illustrators?
OG: Keep learning, use Google, focus on the process, measure your progress against yourself rather than anyone else.
Mariam Saeed Khan is blogger and a writer. She tweets at @mariamsaeedkhan
