If you’ve noticed the fascinating billboards that are unlike any others gracing the buildings of Lahore then you’ve seen the Lahore Biennale Foundation’s (LBF) latest project, Zinda-dil-a’an-e-Lahore. It is a meant to be a homage to the city of Lahore and its residents, and the aim is to connect the people together by way of art that reminds them of their shared humanity. The LBF and the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) collaborated to put up 16 billboards across the city which display thought provoking pieces from 16 artists.
Still Breathing by Imran Qureshi
Still breathing a commentary on the ongoing pandemic and its central motif is a gold mask. Imran Qureshi has covered a mask in 24 Karat gold leaf to symbolise how valuable the humble mask is in this pandemic. He said, “transforming the entity of the Mask into a metallic surface similar to a shield or armour, which protects a warrior in a battle ground. Yet at the same time, flakes of gold leaf may be seen floating around, giving a sense of uncertainty through their fragility in a rather poetic way, symbolic of the uncertainty that we are all experiencing in our lives”.
Film Still 48 by Asif Khan
This picture of the founder of the nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was taken from an old documentary film rescued by the artist from the waste archives of the government offices in Lahore. The film that the documentary is on is from the time of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. The washed out black and white tone manages to evoke a sense of nostalgia for an era long gone, and the fact that the Quaid-e-Azam is seen gesturing in the picture creates a sense of movement that feels at odds with the nature of this moment frozen in time. This contrast between what was and what remains of it is something Asif Khan himself felt as well. He remarks, “going through 35mm film frame by frame without hearing a sound, allowed me to look at the images more deeply to relate with the different stories I have heard or read about the partition of British India.”.
How young is your tap water? by Saba Khan
This unique piece of art addresses both history and environmental degradation. Saba Khan comments on the miserable and filthy state of the once great river Ravi, whilst placing it within the historic context of previous man made destruction. She says, “We learn from the tritium levels that Lahore’s aquifer is supplemented by ‘young waters’ of River Ravi which has become an unfortunate dumping ground.”. Water absorbs tritium, and the large number of nuclear tests that the U.S carried out in the 1950s released a vast amount of tritium that was absorbed by the world’s waters.
Bridge on the canal by Atif Khan
This fantastical and wonderful depiction of a day to night scene on a bridge is a joy to look at. This piece, in the artist’s own words, “is a visual story that depicts a romanticised and imaginary landscape. The single image shows the transformation of day into night, a sign of the rhythm of nature”.
Outsider by Masooma Syed
Outsider is based on this Jose Saramago quote, “Perhaps only in a world of the blind will things be what they truly are”. The piece itself is comprised of translucent subjects grafted onto a background of newspaper clippings. Outsider is spellbinding in its multilayered complexity and hard to look away from.