Public
Art in the Global Context by Zehra Hamdani Mirza
When
an artwork lives on a pavement or intersection, should it merge or
provoke? Who should it speak to? The woman on the street who never
ordered it?
At
the T2F on Saturday, speaker Niilofur Farrukh, and panelists Gulraiz
Khan and Masuma Halai Khwaja analyzed “Public Art in the Global
Context” and unveiled an exciting prospect for Karachi’s art
community.
Farrukh
showed examples of the power of Public Art around the world. Children
in one of Venezuela’s strife ridden neighborhoods were given a
creative sanctuary thanks to community Public Art. In Caracas,
artists, designers and architects created a whimsical space with
books, creativity and learning.
Pakistan’s
public space is contested real estate—with the state, extremists
and civil society clamoring for a piece. 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, Sadequain’s state sponsored murals made him an artist
for the everyman.
Lecturer
at Habib University, Gulraiz Khan, discussed some of the disturbances
Public Art can create, and how its architects need to pre-empt the
ruckus. Beginning with Richard Serra’s notorious “Tilted Arc”
in the 80’s—its 120 foot long, government funded, steel body
halving the Federal Plaza grounds of New York City—public art has
tricky waters. The
sculpture was dismantled following a bitter debate and trial, raising
questions on government funding’s role, an artists’ right to his
work, and the role of the public in determining the value of a work
of art.
The case opened the debate on some of the challenges a designer faces
when their work comes in contact with a bystander—a different
entity to a gallery visitor. Khan also discussed the importance of
designers chatting with the community that will interact with their
pieces.
Masuma
Halai Khwaja presented how Pakistan views its art—figures are
frowned upon, but army friezes work. Pockets of Karachi find varying
relevance in wall art—only certain images are defaced. She also
revealed Karachi Biennale’s public art project: the ubiquitous
cable reel will form the subject for The 100 art objects in the city
project. She announced an open call to convert the reel, that spreads
its arteries around Karachi, into a vibrant, interactive piece of art
by visual artists, designers and architects. Celebrating the ethos
of sustainability and eco-friendliness, and the 1960s Italian art
movement Art Provera, the Karachi Biennial will recycle waste, and
elevate the everyday. The works will be placed around the city, based
on their relevance to that community.
The
conversation heated when the Biennial’s mandate was to not engage
in political or religious controversies, raising the question, should
artists censor themselves? In a landscape of communal and sectarian
violence, and the Shanakht festival dispute, the audience was divided
whether artists should tread with caution or fight fire with fire.
