Revision as of 20:50, 17 November 2013

Women artists: Pakistan

The genius of women

By Fahad Rehman

Women artists

Women artists

Women artists

Women artists

Women artists have always paid the price for their gender since it is men who have mostly been considered ‘masters’ of art and creativity and women have at best been considered imitators of these master artists. The work of women artists has traditionally never been given the artistic space and recognition it truly deserves. An old New Yorker cartoon depicts a group of prehistoric women painting images on the wall of a cave. One of the women suddenly pauses in her work and asks: “Does it strike anyone as weird that none of the great painters have ever been men?” This parodies the obvious gender bias that society has against women artists, as it is always assumed that cave paintings were made by prehistoric men even though there is no proof for this assumption. Although the women’s artistic movement of the 1970s, coupled with feminism has brought unprecedented recognition of the brilliance of women artists, even today the gender bias still thrives to a large extent.

This International Women’s Day saw a unique celebration of the artistic expression and outstanding ability of the women artists of South Asia. The Hamail Art Galleries in Lahore hosted a grand group exhibition of 70 women artists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. This event garnered considerable attention and buzz amongst the art aficionados of Lahore, and was highly applauded. An artistic event at this scale dedicated solely to women artists from Saarc countries is truly an achievement to be recognised and cheered. Our women artists deserve platforms like these in order to gain a legitimate space for artistic expression.

The paintings on display varied greatly on all aspects; from design, texture, medium, to theme. The main objective of the exhibition was to promote the work and genius of women artists from Saarc countries; therefore there was no particular unity or coherence in the theme and display of the paintings although there was a predominance of paintings related to women’s issues in general. “We did not specify that the paintings should be related to women’s issues as we wanted the female artists to send what they considered suitable and representative of their work,” Mrs Nusrat Jamil, the Curator at Hamail Art Galleries, explained.

The paintings that caught the most attention of the public and were highly demanded were related to women’s issues, as the exhibition opened in the backdrop of International Women’s Day. Bangladeshi artists had all sent paintings that were very relevant to the occasion and were sold the most. One of the most prestigious women artist displayed at the exhibition was the renowned Bangladeshi artist, Kanak Chanpa Chamka. Her paintings depict scenes from the lives of tribal women, which are rich in detail and emotion. “Ms Kanak Chamka hails from a tribal community herself, and this is why her paintings are so informative and real.” Mrs Nusrat Jamil commented.

Professor Salima Hashmi is one of the most well-known and influential Pakistani artist and educator. Her work adds greatly to the range of masterpieces displayed in the exhibition. An underlying concern for the subjectivities, emotions and everyday experiences of women is of primary significance in most of her displayed work. The simple ordinary everyday scene should be interpreted as an expression of the most significant, deep, and characteristic moments of a women’s existence. A women’s whole life, feelings, desires and existence caught in a moment of routine ordinariness.

One of the most fascinating artistic displays in the exhibition was Amna Ilyas’s sculpture pieces. She used two women models for her Plaster of Paris sculptures, which make a strong statement on women’s oppression. Two female figurines are covered in a big piece of cloth sitting with their heads bowed in submission under the enveloping chador. The paradox in the sculpture is that the figurines are in fact completely nude underneath the cover of the chador. The artistic piece can be interpreted as a symbol of the manner in which women’s bodies are the focus of society’s oppression and concern. Our patriarchal society tries to shame them of their bodies but cannot completely take away their pride in themselves.

Numerous paintings on display show a justified concern on the state of a woman’s life in oppressive patriarchal societies; in fact it is the underlying theme in most of the pieces on display. Images of women associated with cages, especially caged birds, are usual symbolic expressions of the lack of freedom and equality in our contemporary societies. These paintings are an attempt to break the constraints of patriarchy and speak out against the injustice. The artists use the medium of art to finally express the daily sense of oppression that they feel. The fact that this emphasis on gender, and how it affects almost every aspect of life, is being highlighted so successfully is enough to appreciate the need for more such promotions of women artists.

The dilemma of the women’s artistic movement and greater concern for gender in art is that the work of female artists is viewed only through the limited perspective of gender. The significance of a women’s artistic creation is attributed to the fact that it is made by a female, and not the message and merit of the artistic piece itself. The important influences of ethnicity, history, personality, class, religion etc. are all ignored in interpreting the significance of the creation. The need of the time is to realise that gender solely should not be the criterion to either ignore or celebrate a woman’s ingenuity as she should be seen as an individual first and foremost. This balancing act can only be achieved once women artists have parity with their male counterparts and are considered worthy, necessary and equal individuals.