Air

Ali Kazim Born 1979, Pattoki, Pakistan Lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan Ali Kazim was captivated by the shifting skies when exploring the ancient ruins and remnant landscapes of the Punjab region of Pakistan, which covers much of what was once the vibrant Bronze Age civilisation of the Indus Valley. One of Kazim’s early portraits was a study of a Priest-King drawn from a terracotta figure found near the archaeological site of Harappa, which led to a deeper study of the ancient histories of civilisations in the region, and with it, the changing weather patterns and frequent sandstorms that have awakened these ruin-laden landscapes over millennia. A hovering cloud and billowing dust storm evoke the distant memories of past inhabitants in Untitled (cloud series) 2018 and Untitled (storm series) 2018. Through these works, Kazim conjures the remarkable civilisations that evolved under these skies, and contemplates their absence like a storm that has long passed. The fleeting cloud, forming from vapour and eventually dissipating into a new state, acts as a metaphor for the influential civilisation that turned into shards and dust at this site, signifying a transitory moment in history. Across his practice, Kazim consciously seeks direct conversations with both material and subject in his meticulously crafted paintings. In Untitled (cloud series) and Untitled (storm series) , he considers pigment as a pure form of dust. He contemplates how dust can preserve or destroy layers of history, and how, as a record of time, dust reveals traces of civilisations that echo through land and skyscapes. 1 Working on polyester film allows him to treat tiny particles with particular attention — black pigment is worked with cotton or soft brushes to create an atmospheric field, while stencils and erasers detail floating pottery shards and dust and storm clouds carried by the winds. Capturing transient moments, as climatic forces suddenly draw sleeping ruins out of stasis, Ali Kazim’s subtle images ruminate on both the presence and absence of material, land and people across time. TN 1 Ali Kazim, quoted in ‘Ali Kazim in conversation with Anita Dawood’, Ali Kazim: Traces , Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai and London, 2019, p.11. Ali Kazim / Untitled (storm series) (details) 2018 187 186 Change Change