Muhammad Zeeshan is still relatively young (1980) and is currently enjoying a solo show at London’s Kristin Hjellegjerde. The Pakistani artist has drawn parallels with his fellow countryman Imran Qureshi, both often collected together (the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum and Pacific Asia Museum) and both conveying their views on the modern world through similar means.
So first up, what of the title? Funkier Than a Mosquitos Twitter calls on a mishmash of random words and flamboyant charm that could easily fall flat, if not propped up by an equally exuberant artist. For Zeeshan, it kind of fits. “Looking at the images that make it into my work, I am mostly in awe of how they came to be and how they are being experienced and understood in layman’s terms…They are funky, in fact, funkier than…”
The work is tricksy and, similarly to Qureshi’s work, the combination of old and new is not an obvious one. The modern world doesn’t come crashing in here, loudly shaking things up. The works look primarily traditional, giving way to satire and modern reference on closer look. Zeeshan uses lasers to score intricate lines on wasli paper (a type of handmade paper that is used in miniature painting) in works that depict a mix of gods, icons and references from a melting pot of religions and cultures. Jade greens, rich blacks, reds and golds painted in gauche create a uniform aesthetic.
One of Zeeshan’s intentions is harmony, and in these works many of the elements stop fighting one another – religion, time and culture all merge into one compatible image. The artist conglomerates “contrasts in personal beliefs, geographical boundaries and open distortion of the idea of ‘similar’ and co-existence in order to signify the uniformity of the images present.”
Funkier Than a Mosquitos Twitter is open until August 1 at Kristin Hjellegjerde
