Box of words

Language plays a very important role in creating personal identity. The language provides us with a means of communication within an area, provides employment, social recognition, facility to transact business etc. It is a symbol of social empowerment. Pakistan is one of those countries, which embodies an amazing linguistic diversity. Different people speak different languages, which show what area they belong to.  But the alarming thing is that several languages are endangered or dying.

I speak in a very deep context about language and I believe that clay and mud play an important role when it comes to identity. During my process, I keep these two medium around me all the time. Writing with clay and tools is a very basic step and making something out of it is like playing with your identity. I cut down words in clay and bake them with my own hands. They were so fragile that I had to take care of them. At the same time, I believe that there is some fragility in them through which the language is going.  So the idea of history and time itself is very clear in this process. The language is fading away, so these clay letters will fade away with time.

Imran is from Quetta Baluchistan. He graduated with a Bachelor degree in fine Arts, from the University of Baluchistan In 2015. Ahmad majored in painting; He started his career as a commercial signboard painter when he was in eighth grade. After graduation, he went to Lahore to hone his skills. In 2019, he got admission in MA program, National College of Art, Lahore. Ahmad was a practicing artist before enrolling in the master of visual arts program at the National Collage of Arts.