Just like forcing your daughter to visit the chachi she doesn’t like, public art is thrust upon us. A government or related institution chooses the sculpture, fountain and the peacock painted over the paan -stained wall. So one ponders some questions that immediately arise: should public art be easy on the eyes and mind and depict themes that anyone can understand? Or should it be cryptic high art that gallery-goers won’t ‘pooh-pooh’ at? When all you wanted was soup, public art can often be a greasy main course. How many times have you passed a roundabout and thought, “Why oh why…where did this black submarine come from and can someone please send it back?”
Niilofur Farrukh, CEO of the Karachi Biennale Trust, says Pakistan’s public space is contested real estate. Monuments “informed by state ideology, martial imagery and aggressive religious symbolism” are served to a public that didn’t ask for them. There were exceptions, however, like Sadequain’s state sponsored murals that made him an artist of the people. The latest dive into public art’s tricky waters is by the Karachi Biennale Trust’s creative project, Reel on Hai. Sponsored by Pakistan Cables, the muse is the cable reel. A hundred artists, designers and architects will transform this unlikely hero into an article of beauty for Karachi’s schools, parks, hospitals and universities. A giant spool, the cable reel’s tentacles power the city, and (often) leave her powerless. Once a house of dreams (the possibilities of TV dramas and internet!) a cable reel without the cable is as good as a banana peel. It litters street corners and is always seen on Karachi’s peripheries. Chair of the Public Outreach Committee Masuma Halai Khwaja says that the idea is to use recycled material to engage communities and show them how art can reflect the “the dynamism of a society.” Not to mention the fact that you are turning trash into prettiness: what urbanite wouldn’t want that?
Archbishop Joseph Coutts speaking at the launch of 'Reel On Hai'
The venue was chosen to honour Parween Rehman and her desire to bring art to the underprivileged
The largest reels comfortably tower over you, but the shape is still friendly. In a fascinating challenge, artists will leave their studios and work within the community. They will see how paint and adhesive cope with the open air, and also, a Clifton-based artist may find themselves creating art before a Lyari audience. The project has begun with two sculptures unveiled in very poetic spaces. The first, painted by graffiti artist Sanki King (Abdullah Ahmed Khan) is in the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) compound (Pakistan’s groundbreaking community where residents worked to find their own sanitation, education, health and microfinance solutions).
The venue was chosen to honour the OPP’s late head Parween Rehman and her desire to bring art to the underprivileged Orangi residents. Leaving an architecture firm to help katchi abadi residents, Parween was known for the respect she gave the poor. At the launch event, as Faisal Edhi looked on, Sanki’s swift calligraphy formed the poetry of OPP founder Akhtar Hameed, and a gentle quote from Parween: “Seekho, samjho aur sikhao” (learn, understand and guide). Sanki transformed the reel from a hulk of wood to a creature that is light on her feet; she matches the foliage and softens the landscape. The event, devoid of glitz was filled with hope, change and love. Befittingly, it honored the late Abdul Sattar Edhi.
A finished reel, now an objet d'art, on display
Political cartoonist and artist Feica working on his reel in the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral
The second reel, launched on the 23rd of September was placed in the grounds of St Patrick’s cathedral, and painted by the father-daughter team of Feica, the celebrated cartoonist and artist, and Fakeha. Feica is an intense man. Whether on a train or at home, he can draw and draw. “He doesn’t think,” his daughter Lamha says, he just starts. “He’s like a mad scientist.” Artist and commentator of our times, his clever cartoons shine a light on our days.
Against the Church’s spires and the Christ the King monument - coils of staircases which sprout cherubs, pillars and figures which evoke some of the grandeur of the Renaissance - the launch event was beautiful. The presence of Archbishop Joseph Coutts as the chief guest, with his robes and twinkly eyes made the evening magical. When he stood at the podium, the Karachi sky seemed to collude with him: clear, with rays of light. For a small moment, you believed that art could change the world. He was so excited to hear the KBT team mention ‘harmony’ and ‘making life liveable’ that he insisted on sharing the cathedral’s public space.
Sanki King painting a reel at the Orangi Pilot Project compound
Sanki's reel at the OPP compound
Titled “Peace”, the reel holds its own in the face of the cathedral’s majesty. On one side birds clip the strings of suicide bomber puppets. The scene is a joyous jumble on a fantastic blue. On the other side, a braided female holds a boy and a girl child, carrying them ahead. She has her back to us, as if she is progressing, and makes you think of peace as a nurturing force. Like his newspaper cartoons, Feica’s imagery speaks to everyone. The spine is painted by his daughter and has a youthful, springtime feel. It’s a happy piece. Sitting in a churchyard, in a community that has been truly besieged, it’s a powerful message. Feica was surrounded by hordes of schoolchildren and bombarded by their ‘innocent’ questions as he spent hours painting on the church grounds. It’s a lovely image, especially in a country where art is a luxury. Reel on Hai has dragged art out of the gallery and made bystanders meet art-makers.
Archbishop Coutts was delighted that something “wonderful” was happening “after all that the city had gone through”. And this is worth considering: in a city filled with (often deadly) argument and contradictions, the KBT team have their work cut out for them. Will they be able to capture the city’s special energy? As the two reels celebrate what makes Karachi and Pakistan wonderful - Abdul Sattar Edhi and Parween Rehman, two lights that have left us much darker since their passing - a hopeful Archbishop and a loving Christian community can make you believe KBT will pull it off. As the Archbishop said, “we should keep the reel rolling”. It’s going to be an exciting ride…
Zehra Hamdani Mirza is a writer and painter based in Karachi
