Before the illumination

Addnan’s studio practice is centered on ancestral roots and archaeology. Exploring personal memory of space/place, collective historical events and cultural depictions, archival research is undertaken at his hometown ancient Tulamba, located in southern Punjab, Pakistan. Archaeology allows a connection with the current situation in most of today’s world and serves as foundation for his work exploration. With the aspects which shift from memory to symbols. And memory serves to carve and create an independent narrative of time/place. He is interested in the works of archaeology that explore personal memory of space/place, collective historical events, and cultural depictions of nature in the context of present times. Revealing aspects of history have a profound impact on our contemporary culture today. This leads us to discussions relating to how we interpret a space within its context and how context itself builds sometimes out of the “syntax”. He is interested in these aspects and research/archiving Tulamba is important for him because archaeology allows a connection with the current situation in most of today’s world. With present context as a surface, his work intends to curate a journey of grounded realities, presented with abstract and minimal language using dots, varying lines, marks, letters, signs, symbols, patterns, excavation plans, surveys, and documentation. Style of work with its multi-layering depicts all of these aspects. Leading to discussions relating to how we interpret a space within its context and how context itself builds sometimes out of “syntax”. The aim of his art practice with research remains to be psycho-geographical, while a spiritual element has shifted from memory to symbols. Intricate, repetitive and various kinds of lines, symbols, patterns, surveying and excavation plans are executed layer by layer so to recognize the historical significance of a particular space (Tulamba).

Born in 1984, FarrukhAddnan is based in Lahore. He completed his undergraduate in Visual Communication Design from NCA, Lahore in 2009 and graduate program in Art and Design studies from Mariam Dawood School of Visual Art and Design, BNU, Lahore in 2014.Farrukh got scholarship of South Asia Foundation (SAF) Madanjeet’s Singh institute for South Asian Studies in his Master’s program from 2012-2014.

Since then, he started teaching at National College of Arts, in 2015 and at National College of Business Administration and Economics, Lahore (2016-2017). Presently, he is teaching Drawing and Visual Communication Design at National College of Arts, Lahore.

Addnan is a very accomplished artist and has been nominated for the Jameel prize 6 (2021) and Sovereign Asian Art prize in 2019 and in 2022 respectively. Recently, he has achieved Honorable Mention in drawing category in Art for ADA awards in 2020-2021. His other accomplishments include completing an artist residency ‘Project 12.0’ at 12.0 Contemporary, Islamabad 2019 and he has selected for a residency program ‘Ecologies of Displacement’ at Summerhall, Edinburgh and Koel gallery, Karachi funded by British Council and Creative Scotland. He has also presented numerous artworks in countless solo and group exhibitions in Pakistan and abroad.