Reports    Published 09/06/10

“Layers of Meaning”

Vitalized Verses: Works on paper and Installations by Simeen Farhat
Curated by Niilofur Farrukh
V M Art Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan
21 May–12 June 2010

by ROOHI S. AHMED

For many women in Pakistan, the veil is an item of everyday clothing. For some it is a sign of propriety, for others it is a shield against commoditisation of the female body and for yet others it is tantamount to an insult to one’s individualism and freedom. Such contradictory views co-exist within the “Islamic” Republic of Pakistan, which at the same time is also a multi-cultural nation governed by strong local traditions and diverse religious customs.

The veil worn by Muslim women seems to be a topic for lively contemporary debate and discussions are rife about banning the veil in public in some countries. Until a few decades ago, the veil has been argued through the lens of Orientalist, exotic and feminist views but post 9/11, the veil has transformed essentially into a symbol of “mind controlling” Islamic orthodoxy and a sign of oppression. In fact, it has become convenient to accept it as such, even within a segment in Pakistan, where the political and religious rhetoric of nationalism and purity has misconstrued the various nuances of the veil.

With this background, the exhibition titled Vitalized Verses by Simeen Farhat opened at the VM Art Gallery in Karachi. Born in Pakistan, Simeen has been living in Dallas for the last 17 years. Simeen’s installations comprise of three-dimensional calligraphic text and hollow life-size female forms made out of white robe and headscarf. The flowing text has a strongly resonating presence like notes of music whereas the female forms appeared quite ethereal and did not come across as being “physically limited by the layers of fabric” but rather as something pure and spiritual. Some of the forms appeared as if they were suffering, or were injured, like a female form that was laying sideways and red text was flowing out of it and onto the ground like blood. The artist “strives to inspire women to think and speak for themselves – not what has been dictated to them by society …”

A work of art has the potential of being read quite differently depending on the context in which it has been exhibited. So, it was quite interesting to have this exhibition in Pakistan where a veiled woman is nothing out of the ordinary and one did not feel “threatened” by such presence. And this, more significantly, in Karachi where a growing number of young, educated females are donning the hijab (veil) with the confidence to dress as they please, sometimes even at the risk of public and family disapproval.

However, the experience proved daunting for Simeen Farhat in contrast to showing her work in the US. The artist’s position on veil as forced attire, dwelling on her Orientalist generalisation of women as the other who can’t speak for themselves, was being questioned. The artist found herself barraged by questions like, “How can you say that women who wear hijab cannot think or speak for themselves?” And, “Are you saying that everybody who wears the hijab has been forced into it?” Also, “Which segment of women are you speaking of; Pakistani, rural, urban, or Muslim women in general? Converts? And have all of them been brainwashed?”