A Pakistani Artist that Many Pakistanis Don’t but Should Know About!

Ali Kazim, Shah-Savar (a good rider). Pigment on wasli paper, 72cm x108cm.

I bet a lot of us have not heard about Ali Kazim. He was born in Lahore and currently resides in the same city. Kazim was brought up in Pakistan and got his BFA degree from the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2002 and MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK, in 2011. He, at present, lives and works as a multidisciplinary craftsman in Lahore, where he is additionally an associate teacher at the National College of Arts.

As of now, Ali is excited about the upcoming performance show booked for 2021 at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK. Ali hasn’t encountered any considerable changes to his work since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he recognizes that the craftsmanship world will be struck as economies battle or breakdown in light of the infection that keeps on affecting nearly every part of life over the world. His work is now as trusted by connoisseurs as Virat Kohli’s batting or the Situs poker terpercaya in Indonesia!

His Work

While Kazim works in an assortment of methods, he has stood apart for his representations, which present practically portrayed subjects in not-so-contemporary settlings against sceneries of ground-breaking shading. Shown below is a work of Kazim titled ‘shah-savar.’

Kazim’s works have been shown in significant worldwide fairs and exhibitions, including New York’s Frieze Art Fair in 2019 and gathered by New Yorks’ Metropolitan Museum, the Asia-Pacific Museum, the British Museum, Australia’s Queensland Art Gallery, and others.

Kazim Talks about Pakistan

In a meeting with Global Voices, Ali Kazim talked about his interest in the human body, the motivation he takes from the scene, his present work, and what we should think about artistry in Pakistan now.

Kazim, 46, explains that aside from contemporary craftsmanship, Pakistan has more to offer. There are intriguing cavern inscriptions from the Paleolithic age in the north of Pakistan. The mystical earthenware antiquities from the Indus Valley Civilization are stunning. The Gandhara models, which are noteworthy in their appearance. It’s difficult to take your eyes off the Fasting Buddha at Lahore Museum. These Gandharan molds from multiple points of view are the first instances of the soonest type of globalization. 

His Viewpoint

He says that ‘there are numerous specialists I appreciate without question. I am fascinated with Doris Salcedo, Kiki Smith, Louise Bourgeois, Cornelia Parker, Robert Gobber, and Vija Celmins’ work. I have recently understood that the vast majority of my preferred specialists are female. Their work is tremendously educated, genuinely charged, and astutely made with lots of tolerance. I think everything is there. They have created timeless works.’

This might come as a surprise for some, but Kazim openly admits that the work of females in his work is highly appreciated. According to him, Pakistan has immense talent. The country’s top art institute – NCA – has capable young artists who are fully capable of taking the world by the storm.

Courtesy: globalvoices.org