(ART+MICRO)HISTORY

LECTURES – This project proposes a talk series with contemporary artists living and working in Karachi, Pakistan. As a megacity that is currently home to some 15 million souls and until 2017 one of the “most dangerous city in the world,” Karachi has witnessed the brutal impact of the 1947 partition, ethnic and sectarian violence, the flow of capital, arms and goods, the Afghan War, and much more. This constant “ordered disorder” state of Karachi, while unique to the particularities of its own context, is nonetheless reflective of the “colonial matrix of power” that continues to impact the Global South in the shape and form of its various legacies.

This complex history also means that creating any holistic understanding of Karachi only succeeds in creating little more than statistics. This project therefore aims to combine the framework and methodologies of microhistories to capture the complexities and ever shifting dynamics of this megacity, while making broader connections with the Global South.

More so, it not only aims to bring much needed attention to artistic production currently being undertaken in areas that don’t make it into the canon of western art, but also to understand the implications of working in highly charged environments, and producing work in places where there exists little to no institutional support. The project provides an opportunity for the audience to understand first-hand the issues that contemporary artist face in places like Karachi.

For more information : contact varda.nisar@mail.concordia.ca