ART FACTS: Lost conversations and gestures

Julius John Alam endeavours to recollect lost conversations and gestures of our society. He tried to achieve this goal through the art exhibits titled "Orison of Kenosis" at Sanat Gallery, Karachi. The presentation consists of two separate exhibits each having its own theme and material. Titled 'Wait/Weight' the sculptures were casts of the artist's own hands held in a praying gesture in plaster of Paris. "This body of work looks at prayer as the distance that connects the finite body with the infinite. Through archiving the skin or gestures assumed by the praying body the work makes tangible the intangible body of prayer, connecting the viewer's body to the infinite," said Julius John Alam in a statement.
As prayers is the only connection of humans to the divine. The hands that raise for prayers are the gestures that connect a person to the unseen divine world. This gesture of hands is almost common around the globe to offer prayers. While other titled 'Conversations' in Gypsona a type of plaster of Paris bandages. According to Julius perception in today's world conversations have lost their intimacy. And this presentation was an experiment to see whether people wanted to be connect on intimate level and if they participate it means they do.
"The artist invited people to allow him to take casts of the backs of both their hands and more than 200 people participated. The participants were allowed to keep one cast as a souvenir and the artist kept the other which was exhibited in the exhibition." The result works of this presentation were suppose to be temporary in nature as the artists have a short conversation with each participant while he/she cast his/her hand impression on plaster of Paris. But that conversation some how affected the impressions of the hands of each person and thus that conversation remain with the casts forever.
Julius John Alam is a Lahore based artist and curator. He has a BFA degree from the National College of Arts, Lahore (NCA) and a MFA degree from The New School, New York. He currently teaches at the National College of Arts, Lahore.
[email protected]