Clothed in art By Atteqa Ali

(Contemporary Pakistani artists provide voices that examine the politics and society through dress)

In the work of Pakistani artists, clothing plays an important role. Items of dress become characters in narratives about the nation and its citizens; however, the plots are twisted. The garbs that are typically associated with this South Asian country do not connote what we might initially believe them to mean. A veil, for example, is perhaps not a sign of a woman's oppression, as many in the West may think. Like the invisible fabric of the Emperor's new clothes, there is a dimension here that is often overlooked or ignored. It is one that tells about the stereotypes of Pakistanis and their country.
The general view of Pakistan in the international mass media is one of a troubled, unstable society where terrorists roam freely and women have no power. The South Asian people might wear a range of outfits; however, on the nightly news abroad Pakistanis are either seen sporting a military dress (males) or veiled from head to toe (females). With the same kinds of images repeated over and over again in the media, the dangerous and oppressive view of Pakistan gets affixed in the imagination; therefore, a simple piece of cloth can mean a lot more than something that dresses the body.
Contemporary Pakistani artists, both in their home country and abroad, provide voices that examine and explore the politics and society of Pakistan through dress. But they do so in a complicated manner. They appropriate the stereotypes of the nation and people and -- like clothes that come off the body -- they turn them inside out. Pakistani artists depict a society in turmoil and an identity that is in flux. Yet, they question why this kind of environment is present in the country.
For Hasnat Mehmood a turbaned man serves as a generic ruler. With this head-dress, he appears to be a Mughal Emperor; however, in the artist's mind it can be any leader who uses pictures to manipulate the public. Hasnat comments on the abuse of power and its manifestation in imagery through his reference to the postage stamp. The stamp has always been a powerful tool for rulers. It is an effective way to spread propaganda. In the prolonged British Empire, for example, the image of the queen informed subjects afar to whom they should be loyal.
Misrepresentations continue to abound in South Asia. Leaders build public monuments to project themselves and historical events as great and brave; however, this is usually a skewed perspective. Ayesha Jatoi pointed this out by doing the laundry under a fighter jet that sits at 'China Chowk' in Lahore. It served the Pakistani air force during the 1971 civil war that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. The artist has used the jet to make her statement about war and destruction. For her, these are the results of male aggression. The stereotypically female, private act contrasts with the public symbol of male power that served as her site.
Instead of trying to soften a harsh structure, Naiza Khan hardens feminine clothing. In her work, lingerie is turned into armour; it stands stiffly as if embodied. The soft bits of clothing are no longer delicate and sensual. Rather, Naiza creates a sturdy, feminine army. An installation of these sculptures calls into question the perceptions of women, both within and outside of Pakistan. They are neither aggressive nor fragile.
Using the veil as a symbol in her paintings, Aisha Khalid reveals the prowess of women as well. Her images do so in oblique ways. This is perhaps necessary in an Islamic society where the social conventions expect women to be invisible and silent. Aisha challenges this assumption and other long-held beliefs about Muslim women. Using the miniature painting technique to create luminous images in which there is little to indicate a woman directly, the artist makes her women 'visible'. Her strength is revealed not by showing her directly, but by giving her a presence.
For men articles of clothing can be similarly oppressive. An example is Rashid Rana's mixed media work, Who' s Afraid of Red where he has cut a wedding jacket in half. More recently, his digital image, Identical Views, looks at similar concerns. In it, he shows himself getting dressed in a variety of outfits. The title suggests that the mirror images are the same from one side to the next; however, there is discrepancy amongst the views. This simple work that seems to be about the artist only extends to aesthetic obsessions like vision along with socio-political matters about identity and how slippery it can be. Identity shifts with each costume change.
Even though this ability to shape and shift is what all of these artists offer in their works, it feels impossible at times for Pakistanis to shed the clothes that weigh them down.
SOURCE:
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2008-weekly/nos-02-03-2008/enc.htm