Continuing with its endeavour to make the visual arts more accessible to the LUMS community, the Gurmani Centre organized a videography exhibition from September 30 to October 4 2019. The exhibition, titled Re-View, featured photographer and moving image artist Asif Khan. It was curated by Dr. Nadhra Khan and exchange student Olivia Burt.
Re-View opened on Monday, 30th September 2019 to a warm and enthusiastic response. Dr.Zia ul Hassan started off the evening by briefly introducing the audience to the artist’s work. The exhibition showcased five drone films shot in the surroundings of Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. The films highlighted the contrast between agricultural land and sites of construction in the transforming landscape of Lahore’s periphery. Asif Khan was also present at the opening and intermingled with the audience, entertaining their questions over tea and refreshments. The exhibition was open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the week, offering students a chance to engage with the work at their convenience.
Near the end of the week, on Thursday October 3rd, the artist delivered a talk regarding the exhibition and his work. Commenting on his choice of filming technique he said: “I chose to film with a drone pointed directly below at a ninety degree because it flattens surfaces and displays the world in a simplistic, two dimensional way.” He said that he was “intrigued by this novel way of looking at the world.”
Asif Khan also displayed samples of his previous and ongoing work, and answered the audience’s questions about them. These included restored stills from discarded news film reels, and a series of Facebook live stream screengrabs juxtaposed with contrasting images. After a detailed discussion of his individual pieces of art he talked about his broader artistic interests. He touched upon his predilection for “defying the conventions of the medium, whether it is by forcing a gliding drone to stand still or by freezing a fleeting Facebook live stream in a static image.” The audience emerged from the session with a deeper understanding of the artist’s work.
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