A shared history in verses and metal
It’s not that easy for a person born on the wrong side of the border to show anything across the border,” says visual artist Khalil Chishtee, who was born in Pakistan and is living in the US. Even though he calls India his “favourite country”, he rues the fact that his debut solo show in India, a metal calligraphy exhibition titled Between The Lines, is being displayed only now and he can’t be there in person.
Smooth curves of Urdu calligraphy on hard metal evoke awe for Chishtee’s smart techniques. “Content is more important than the material,” says the artist whose traumatic childhood memories after Partition are often reflected in his works.
Explaining his choice of material, he says, “I’m using words, phrases, and poems, but didn’t want it to have feather-like quality. So, to add heaviness or weight to a verse or slogan, I used metal.”
One of his works, titled Desire II, depicts a charging bull constructed with Ghalib’s popular verse — Hazaaron khwaahishein aisi ki har khwaahish pe dam nikale. Chishtee says, “I remember I had a tough time translating Ghalib’s verses to a westerner. That’s why I say it’s easier for people in India to understand my work because we have a shared history. I last visited Delhi in 2006, and saw Ghalib’s haveli... When I was creating these works, I wanted people in this part of the world to see them. I really want to be there to see the viewer’s response.”