This document provides an overview of Mansur Rahi's career and artistic style. It discusses how Rahi's work both borrows from and deviates from Cubism. While Rahi adopts certain Cubist techniques like using geometric shapes and monochromatic color, he rejects other aspects of Cubism like using multiple perspectives and intellectual abstraction. The essay also examines how Rahi's style changed over the course of his career, moving from a focus on social and political themes during his time in Karachi to more peaceful subjects after relocating to Islamabad. Overall, the document analyzes how Rahi's art blends conventional and unconventional approaches to Cubism.

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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 (January 2006)
Essays
From Temple of the Muses to the Bazaar of Story Tellers Museum and the City
by Gulzar Haider
What might have started as a celebration of scientific discovery and a desire to preserve
civilizational inheritance or loot in the 19th century got interwoven in the 20th century with
pursuits of national identity, affirmation of cultural uniqueness, recovery of ethnic pride and
even religious-imperial memory. The museum as an institution and a building has become a
medium of some affirmative agenda, if not a polemic, and its contents are often feeble,
sometimes a blatantly artificial attempt at its own justification.
The Rebirth of Tollington Market as a Museum
by Samina Shah
In living memory, the building often referred to as “Tollington”, has been a provision market.
This edifice stands at the intersection of two axes, and the north to south alignment is from
the old city of Lahore and the British cantonment, and the east to west is the old and new
Anarkali bazaar. Seen in the context of the colonial British policy for arts and industry, the
Tollington building was erected in 1864to house an exhibition of “Indian Crafts”—an event
that was immensely popular that continued for a period of nine months.
Strategies of Opening and Openness in Lithuanian Museology
by Elona Lubyte
The era of change in our museums started with the separation. In the Soviet period, all
objects stored in the museum belonged to the museum fund of the USSR.
Citizen-Art-Museum: An Unexplored Connection
by Niilofur Farrukh
A lack of awareness, disinterest or disconnect with the needs of the community keeps
Pakistanís archeological museums with their priceless core of artifacts from adopting a
strategy that projects an indigenous point of view with the help of an appealing display and a
proactive outreach program. In the West, where the Museumís state grant is often linked to
the popularity of the institutions, it has no choice but to design programs that prioritizes the
interest of the community.
Weaving Stories of Solidarity: Reflections on Children’s Museums as Activist
Organizations
by M. Zulifqar Ali
All educational theories are constructed on a theory of knowledge that determines the
answers to key educational decisions such as what is to be taught, how, to whom and why.
What a society learns to respect and value is a product of the education and theory of
knowledge it explicitly or implicitly accepts. It is therefore critical for museums to define the
epistemology that drives them.
Art Global
“Where is Contemporary Islamic Art in the Arab World?”
by Dr Wijdan Ali
In the art and architecture of a traditional Islamic society, the principles of a particular
tradition inspire man’s creative energies and integrate all of society into a whole and
complete entity. In his endeavor to worship God, the Muslim creates an object that combines
beauty and functionality according to a traditional archetype, with a synthesis of materials
and shapes, for the sole purpose of finding an insight into the nature of God and of man’s
affinity to Him.
Anticipating a New Direction—The 51st Venice Art Biennial
by Simone Wille
With its 110 years experience, the oldest and most prestigious art exhibition in the world is
showing signs of a re-orientation. After years of permanent expansion and universalizing
trends, the 51st Biennial appears to want to make peace with these ideas and contemplate a
new direction.
A Conversation with Maysaloun Faraj
by Zehra Zaidi
Maysaloun Faraj is without doubt one of the central figures in Iraqi art today. A prominent
artist and ceramist, along with her husband - the visionary architect Ali Mousavi - and a few
other kindred spirits, she has put Iraqi art on the map.
Marking Emergence of Regional Modernism: A Perspective on the Madras Art
Movement
by Ashrafi S. Bhagat
In the south, centered at Madras (present Chennai, India), with its locus at the colonial
Government College of Arts and Crafts - there emerged The Madras Art Movement in the
early 1960s. The Madras group was a heterogeneous constellation of artists who banded
together under the authoritarian leadership of K.C.S. Paniker (1911-1977).
The Singular Journey: South Asian Visual Art in Britain
by John Holt and Laura Turney
In many ways this essay aims to provide a snapshot or a taste of ëSouth Asianí art in Britain
which is conceptually at odds with some of the debates that it will introduce to you, namely,
the tension between recognizing the contributions and achievements of South Asian artists
whilst simultaneously critiquing the marginalization and exclusion of such artists from what
we may call “the mainstream”.
Contact: Toronto’s Photo Fest
FULL ARTICLE
FULL ARTICLE
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FULL ARTICLE
S U B S C R I BE
W H E R E T O B U Y
A D V E R T IS E
contact
bookgroup
bookgroup
books
making a paradigm
shift in govt schools
SMB Fatima Jinnah
Govt Girls School
demonstrating
change
elements of
intervention
reforming the
education sector
reforming the
education sector
Proposal for CDGK
Total number of schools in Karachi: 3752
Total number of campuses: 950
Phase 1: Making a paradigm shift in 25 to 30 schools, January–August 2008
During the same period, make policy changes for all schools in
Karachi
Phase 2: Replicating the changes in all Karachi schools (950), January 2009–
December 2010
Phase 3: Replicating the changes in schools throughout in Sindh, January
2010–December 2012
Steps to be taken
1. The 25 to 30 or schools that will be taken up for complete turn-around
under the nazim’s Reforming the Education Section programme will
be referred to as Neemtree Schools (Neemtree is an Urdu as well as an
English word symbolizing the wonders of nature and its medicinal value).
2. Changes in these 25 to 30 schools should be done not by notification,
but as nazim’s education reform programme. Notification is an admission
that the government cannot improve its schools; our approach is that
© Adnan Lotia / Design / Web Design

4. © Adnan Lotia / Web Design / Tech Bee Design

5. © Adnan Lotia / Design / Publication Design
5
The Men on The Ground…
The Pakistani infantry is divided up into units called ‘battalions’. Some
of these battalions are ‘mechanised’ or ‘motorised’ – indicating the
increased mobility of the troops – but most of the Pakistani infantry
comprises of ‘foot soldiers’.
In areas where the terrain allows it, such as the plains of the Punjab
and the deserts of Sindh, these ‘jawans’ are reinforced by support
from other arms like the Armoured Corps (cavalry/tank forces), the
Artillery (‘Gunners’), Army Aviation (air support) and even the Pakistan
Air Force. But in rough terrain, they have to fight alone.
In effect, the Pakistani infantryman has
been and continues to be a critical actor
in the the country’s rugged battlefields
such as the Line of Control, Siachen
and even FATA.
Understanding the infantry is key to understanding war, historically
and contemporaneously, in the context of Pakistan’s sophisticated
security paradigm.
BAHAWALPUR
PANO AQIL
HYDERABAD
KHARIAN
GUJRANWALA
OKARA
LAHORE
SIALKOT
MURREE
PESHAWAR
JHELUM
MANGLA
DANSAM
GILGIT
ASTOR
SKARDU
RAWALPINDI
TURBAT
KOHAT
QUETTA

6. © Adnan Lotia / Publication Design / Nukta Art
10 11
R
ecently a Mansur Rahi retrospective that covered the
period from 1957 to 2009 was held at the National Art
Gallery. This show held concurrently with his wife
artist Hajra was titled “Creative Melange”.
While viewing Rahi’s work one is struck by the
prevalent dichotomy. Conventionality as well as non-
conformity to Cubism coexists within his artworks. So
what does he borrow or reject from Picasso and Braque? Since his
works are simultaneously imbued with these opposing attributes,
a synchronized discussion is imperative. Cubism involves a
fracturing of form along with its subsequent realignment into
diminutive planes. A strong adherence to this is evident in works
like The Thinker (1970) and the Wild Horse Series, while the series
of drawings displays a certain degree of divergence from this
standard. Both Picasso and Braque depicted a conceptual rather
than perceptual view of nature and Rahi’s several paintings show
an affinity with this outlook, one such example is Mother and Child
(1975). Color is monochromatic in Analytical Cubism and much
of Rahi’s works show a restrained use of color. A number of his
paintings however, like Couple in Love (2002), show an augmented
utilization of color that is analogous to Synthetic Cubism.
Now that the parallels albeit with some apparent deviations, have
been drawn, the intense disparities need to be hammered out as
well. Multiple view points are integral to Cubism; still Rahi chooses
to disregard this paramount feature. For example, a simultaneous
depiction of two horses with different views is seen in one of his
pieces from the Wild Horse Series, but this varies from the essential
cubist method of concurrently depicting several view points of a
single subject. Moreover, Picasso and Braque left clues for viewers
so that an intellectual engagement would be required to decipher it.
In Rahi’s work the subject is easily perceived, therefore the
intellectual process begins after its recognition, unless his
intention is based on a purely visual aesthetic in which case the
cerebral is rejected in favor of the physical. Additionally, Cubism
discards traditional perspective in an effort to avoid any imitation
of nature and yet Rahi’s Grey Genesis Series is a testament to the
pivotal role it commands within this particular body of work.
Modeling was done away with for the same reason; still we come
across it in Rahi’s drawings. Cubism portrays the presence of light
in a distinctive manner as it seems to be radiating from within
the planes. In contrast, the Wild Horse Series shows how Rahi uses
the visual imagery of Rayonism to stress the presence of light and
thus departs from the cubist convention of creating subdued light.
Rahi’s peripheral encounter with Cubism can be traced back
to his academic period in works such as Portrait Study (1959).
Blocks of color that constitute the face are rendered in an
unambiguous manner which led his teacher Kibria to wonder
whether he would later become a proponent of Cubism. Quite
an accurate hypothesis, considering 50 years have gone by and
the same blocks are still integral to his work. At this time he was
studying at the Govt. College of Art and Craft, Dhaka. Earlier,
he had completed his matriculation from Raj Shahi School,
also in Dhaka. In 1964, he moved to Karachi and stayed there
for 18 years. This initial phase of his career shows the impact
of Zainul Abedin. One example is the impression Abedin’s
impulsive drawings made upon Rahi. Moreover, Zainul Abedin
was motivated by social and political events and this early
period in Rahi’s career demonstrates a greater focus on thematic
content such that social and political issues also became a major
concern for him. His series like World Food Crisis, Soul in Hell
and Struggle for Achievement are fall into this category. According
to Rahi, these early years of his profession were marked by
struggle which also appears in his works from that period. So, his
representational as well as non-representational abstract works
manifest an imitation of his life. Another characteristic that
strikes a similar chord between his work and that of his teacher
Zainul Abedin, is the presence of a bold and clear outline.
The later phase of Rahi’s career began in 1983 when he changed
his residence from Karachi to Islamabad. He describes this period
as rather peaceful and therefore his art shifts from a portrayal of
struggle to one of peace as mountains, beauty and romance began
to be depicted in his work.
Rahi’s paintings and drawings depict abstraction yet the
visual imagery remains representational, which marks another
difference between his early work in Karachi and his later work
in Islamabad. Such dissimilarities are amalgamated through an
essence of Cubism that runs through his entire body of work,
creating interplay of opposites.
Arooj Zahid holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the College of
Art & Design, Punjab University. She is a painter and sculptor. She
did field work in Art History at major museums in the UK in 2008.
She is presently engaged in teaching at the Punjab University. She
has a very keen interest in art as well as its history and undertakes
assignments related to these fields.
by Arooj Zahid
CreativeMélange:
MansurRahi
Conventionalityaswellasnon-
conformitytoCubismcoexistswithin
Rahi’sartworks.Sowhatdoesheborrow
orrejectfromPicassoandBraque?
Mansur Rahi
Mother and Child
oil on canvas, 76 × 137 cm
1975
Mansur Rahi
Untitled—Wild Horses Series
oil on canvas , 61 × 91 cm
1980s
Mansur Rahi
Untitled—Drawing Series
oil on canvas, 107 × 137 cm
2000
Art Global
74 The Burden of Expectations: 7th Shanghai Biennale 2008
by Xhingyu Chen
82 Art Dubai 2009
by Christine Bruckbauer
88 Allowing Dreams to Become Real
by Niilofur Farrukh
92 The Act is Truth: Performance Art at Art Dubai
by Rumana Husain
Books
98 The Romance of Raja Rasalu and Other Tales
reviewed by Niilofur Farrukh
Art Collector
100 Ilona Yusuf visits Zishan Afzal
Nukta-e-Nazar
106 NuktaArt in conversation with Savita Apte
4 Editor’s Note
6 Art News
16 Art@Nukta
Essays
46 Murals by the Master
by Salman Ahmed
50 Narrative and Anti-Narrative
by Nameera Ahmed
54 New Media Art in Pakistan: New Tools of Social Intervention
by Amra Ali
60 Locative Media: A Creature Void of Form
by Rob Van Karanenburg
64 New Media Practices as New Context Media
by Nancy Adajania
Photo Essay
70 Khuda Bux Abro
Contents
82
74
54
22
30
24
27
88
100
92
106
photo
essay
Fahimsiddiqi
the
Visual
Voice
ofthe
City
I
n this photo essay Fahim Siddiqui
has captured the visual voice of the
forgotten as it is articulated on the
walls of Karachi: Here the pulse of
public opinion can be felt in slogans
that announce who is popular and
who is not; bravado and defiance is
made obvious and poignant and nostalgic
verses are painted in a direct manner.
This is the space where the people’s love for
the city finds expression through art; rival
sectarian groups challenge each other; on
walls, fragments of posters, some still stuck,
others torn off rub shoulders with rallying
calls to rallies.
Armed with spray cans, stencils, buckets
of paint and brushes, professionals and
amateurs stalk the city at all times seeking
opportunities to add their mark to the
cacophony of visual voices as spatial and
dimensional limitations are removed and
the whole city becomes their canvas.
Fahim Siddiqui, who has been associated as
a photographer with the Dawn newspaper
is a veteran of the streets of Karachi where
over the years, along with images of
everyday news, he has built a portfolio of
wall chalkings, a small number of which
are presented here to bring to the reader
messages from the walls of the metropolis.
Fahim Siddiqi started working as a
freelance photographer in 1998. He was
tutored in the craft by Rahmatullah Khan
at the PACC and the Alliance Francaise in
Karachi. After a short stint as a freelancer for
Shell Pakistan, he joined the Dawn Group
of Newspapers. For over a decade now, in
his capacity as press photographer, Fahim
Siddiqui has shot innumerable people and
events. The assassination of Maulana Yusuf
Ludhianwi, a key Deobandi religious figure,
through the lens of his Digital Nikon D-300
and the suicide bomb attack at Karachi
Sheraton Hotel, will both remain as some
of the most terrible images engraved on his
memory. His most unforgettable tryst has
been with the renowned Pakistani social
worker Abdul Sattar Edhi and the Indian
socialite writer Shobha De. Besides the Dawn
newspaper, his photographs can be viewed at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fahimsiddiqi/

7. NANCY
ROSS
PROJECT
SPACE
Youth Programs ADE’s summer and after-school programs for youth
include our Saturday Art School, the Design Initiative for Community
Empowerment, and the Summer Design program.
Independent Projects All Pratt students may submit proposals for a
project they would like to showcase during the semester. In the past,
students have displayed their own work, their students’ work, and
curated exhibitions on various aspects of practice and theory.
Student Work A frequent subject of exhibitions at the NRPS is the
artwork of children and young adults taught by members of Pratt’s
ADE department. This allows ADE student teachers to share their
teaching experiences as well as their students’ artwork.
Collaborative Proposals Students, faculty and administrative
personnel have all worked together in the past to curate and display
projects in the Nancy Ross Project Space.
Graduating Thesis Exhibition The graduating class participates in
an exhibition of their theses inquiries at the end of the semester as
part of their thesis requirements. This exhibition provides students
with an opportunity to share their findings with the campus at large.
“The Nancy Ross
Project Space gave
me the opportunity
to design, curate,
and display work
on an issue I felt
strongly about
as a student
teacher. Best of
all, the experience
helped me develop
my teaching
approach.”
–Adnan Lotia, MS 2012
NANCYROSS
PROJECTSPACE
The Nancy Ross Project Space was
inaugurated by Pratt Institute’s Art & Design
Education Department in 2010 as a forum
to explore the increasingly meaningful
relationship between art exhibition and art
education. Open to proposals from the entire
campus, the Project Space functions as a
gateway for students to approach the role of
the artist-teacher from a fresh perspective.
Student Teaching Exhibition Each semester, graduate and
undergraduate student teachers in the ADE department display a
selection of work produced by their students as part of the process
of reflecting on the student teaching experience.
Course Exhibitions Faculty members in the department often
choose to utilize the Project Space as a means of presenting
coursework or expanding on issues arising from class discussion.
Student Teaching
Exhibition
Course
Exhibitions
Youth Programs
Independent
Projects
Student Work
Collaborative
Proposals
Graduating
Thesis Exhibition
ADE
ART+DESIGN
EDUCATION
The Nancy Ross Project Space
Main Building, Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
www.prattade.org
© Adnan Lotia / Design / Brochure & Catalog
NANCY
ROSS
PROJECT
SPACE
aduate and
rtment display a
part of the process
artment often
presenting
class discussion.
ADE
ART+DESIGN
EDUCATION
The Nancy Ross Project Space
Main Building, Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
www.prattade.org

8. PHO
TOS
HOP
2009
2010
A
P
PRENTI
C
E
S
W
O
R
D
S
M
I
T
H
S
&
Art Club is a new series of art workbooks specifically designed
for students of classes 1 to 5. The series focuses on building and
strengthening the foundations of drawing and painting, with particular
emphasis on the proper handling of a wide range of materials. Unique
and original assignments incorporating Pakistani themes with easily
available materials allow young learners to develop both technical skills as
well as their creativity and imagination.
Each book contains fun and engaging assignments that introduce basic art
concepts. Since assignments can be done directly in the book, Art Club is the
only resource teachers will require to effectively and comprehensively develop
students’ art skills.
• The Materials Guide in each book corrects
common mistakes and gives tried and tested
material handling information
• A Glossary of important art terms helps
students develop the proper vocabulary for art
making and summarizes important concepts
• Step-by-step instructions for each assignment
are illustrated with full colour photographs to
make learning easy
• Teacher’s Notes for each assignment assist in
class instruction and give helpful hints specific to
the concept being introduced
• Clear and colourful samples provide useful
ideas and inspiration
• Colouring Pages at the end of each book
incorporate themes Pakistani children will be
familiar with
Huma Nasir is an experienced mathematics teacher, having done her Master’s research on ‘The effective role of
e-learning in teaching mathematics’. She has been teaching mathematics since 1990 and has also conducted mathematics
training sessions for teachers from different schools. She is a graduate of Professional Education (CPEd) from the
University College Plymouth, St Mark and St John, where her major focus was teaching and learning mathematics at
the primary level. She is also a recipient of the Australian Mathletics Trophy. Ms Maheen is currently a mathematics
coordinator in one of the leading schools in Karachi.
Adnan Lotia is a freelance print media designer and art educator. He has taught art history, art, and design since
2001 at elementary, secondary and collegiate levels. He has also coordinated the art programs of a private school,
a government school and an annual workshop in Karachi’s largest slum. As a designer, he has worked for numerous
publications in Pakistan, including several nationally-circulated magazines and covers for many prominent scholarly texts.
Art Club
book 1
by Huma Nasir and Adnan Lotia
© Adnan Lotia / Design / Fiction & Nonfiction Books

9. © Adnan Lotia / Design / Digital Art & Illustration

10. © Adnan Lotia / Design / Posters
4th Annual
Football Fundraiser
January 30, 2010
4 to 9 pm
Rahat Football Stadium
Tickets available at The Hot Spot and Muzika
Rs 300 each
contact 111-475-725 ext 2245 for more details
Proceeds from this event will go towards CFC's Mother and Child Health Care Center (MCH) in Mohammadi “Machar” Colony.
The MCH has been thriving over the years and provides comprehensive out patient services in the following areas;
Tuberculosis Prevention, Immunisations, Family Planning, Skin, Gynaecology and Pediatrics to over 2,000 members
of the community on a monthly basis.
8 September
8:00 pm
Ida K. Lang Hall
Hunter College
695 Park Avenue
New York, NY
saad@saadharoon.com
646-255-2405
Friends of
Chula Chowk
Feed a family of eight for
just Rs 2500/month
About the Project
The Chula Chowk is a community kitchen in Machar Colony—the first
of its kind in Pakistan. The colony has no access to gas or clean drinking
water, leading to a high rate of respiratory illness among children and
widespread hepatitis. The Chula Chowk provides a safe alternative.
Who Benefits?
Most women in the area have 6–8
children, and live in one-room homes with
no electricity, running water or toilets.
They work 12–14 hours a day in unsanitary
shrimp peeling warehouses to provide for
their families. The Chula Chowk provides
these residents with a safe, sanitary
environment in which to cook.
Additionally, women are empowered to
learn new skills, hygiene, and budgeting
that can improve the quality of both their
lives and their children’s.
Children
There is a separate play area/day care
facility for participants’ children. CFC
utilizes this opportunity to introduce
early childhood learning through play. An
enriched early learning environment has
been shown to positively correlate with
mental development thoroughout life.
Employment
The Chula Chowk staff consists of a
caretaker and a child care worker, both
women employed locally from the
community as part of CFC’s mandate
to capacity-build through improved
employment opportunities. Additionally,
the Chula Chowk has a committee
nominated by participating community
women who make decisions regarding
the running of the project.
How to Help
The project currently serves 20 families
and costs Rs 50,000/month to run. This
means that for Rs 2500/month, you can
help feed safe meals to a family of eight,
provide the children with important
early learning, support local community
women through employment and ensure
that healthy behavioural changes are set
in place for the long term.
You can become a friend of the Chula
Chowk Project for just Rs 1000/month. If
even 50 people are willing to help us in this
way, we can ensure that the community
has continued access to the service.
Please call for a site visit or for more
information at 220-1384. Email us at
zmurad@concernforchildren.org.pk
Every little bit counts!

11. © Adnan Lotia / Design / Product & Packaging
3.5 in
6 in
Please join us in welcoming
LIAM MURAD LOTIA
to our family
Mikail &Zohreen