Syed Hassan Mujtaba's drawings in charcoal, lead and graphite revealed both despair and hope that exists in society as a whole including young and old, men and women, children and adults. Titled "Between Black and White" the solo exhibition at Sanat Gallery, Karachi reflected various aspects of life in black and white.
It may be individuals in society or a gathering of people they all experience same cynicism and desperation but are alive because of expectations and beliefs that many times prove false but they continue to hope for the better.
The hope is for better future for our coming generations. Children are our bright future they are the ones that gave us joyous memories and we want to preserve and secure their future.
The figures and portraits of children in grey tones might be annoying for many as the children were portrayed in greys instead of bright cheerful colours to show their bright future. But drawing children portraits in grey means they are raw and they have to fill colours in their lives by their own efforts and struggle.
Most of the children were dressed in school uniforms but their faces were not shown as the drawings show either their back or their feet only that depicted that all children are alike they had no identity as every child of our country is future of our country other than his/her identity. The uniform also showed that each child has the same rights to education, health and career.
His drawings presented symbolic significance of imagery in charcoal, lead and graphite mediums. Every person in this world has his/her own narrative of life and personal stories to tell. Even brothers and sisters has different life although they have lived their childhood together but everybody has a significant personality every individual is a different person.
But civilised systems of the world provide a structure for people to live together in a certain way. People must follow a set pattern of life and practice rules of conduct to be a good citizen. Therefore many people's lives were a reflection of a training which he/she received from elders at home and in education centres such as schools, colleges and universities. That's why Hassan focused on children in schools and in streets who will become the leaders of our nation in future. He has beautifully woven conversations in relation to his penetrating observations.
As education, religion, cultural values, socio-political hierarchies and gender placement construct the personalities of people. We must be cautious about what our children are learning from surrounding society, at home and in education centres. Because what they learn they will become. You see people behave in certain ways consciously and subconsciously which was according to the knowledge they received.
"There are practices devised for structural mechanism to function by building harmony and acquiring balance within a system. The outcome defines a structural order which is the fundamental goal for a system.
But there are other facets as well which eventually surface along with the structural stability. Uniformity, monotony, repetition, and rigidity are a few which also become evident in how people behave under given circumstances. What are the similarities in people's choices and behaviours? At what time do these similarities emerge?" Hassan said in a statement while elaborating his work.
(The writer can be reached at [email protected])
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