Mohammad Ali Bukhari (M.A Bukhari) known for his large canvases, broad strokes, and vibrant colors that signify his creativity and aesthetic sensibilities, Karachi-based artist, uses the paint quite generously, applying it in thick layers with an abandon that is eye-catching and bewildering at the same time.
In this exclusively interview to ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS (A+I) Bukhari describes beauty through his painting techniques and blends modern art magnificently with cultural and religious values.
Interview By Solmaz Regi | Photographs Courtesy Artist
BEFORE STARTING, WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR SELF AS AN ARTIST AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
“Bismillah hi Rahman e Rahim, I think I would want to divide the description into three parts, as my basic education, higher education, and the other accomplishments in life.
My basic education was from Karachi, Agha khan Foundation, Ronak Habib School, and then I continued in Government Boys School.
For Higher Education, I went to Karachi University for my Master’s Degree in Political Science. Then I joined the Karachi School of Arts for Diploma and an advanced course in Fine Arts and Printmaking.
Therefore, I acquired my 2 years Scholarship for Italy. On my return, I went to “Gehwara e Fuun” in Islamabad and stayed there for 6 years.
Finally, I shifted to Karachi, where I’m attached to the Art Scene for the last 25 years.”
HOW DO YOU DEFINE ART AND HOW DID THIS EVOLVE FOR YOU AS A PERSON?
“Initially I thought, Art, is a practice that combines with the culture of an individual, who then makes art according to himself.
But in advance and contemporary art, I came across new directions and examples. After that, I changed my work form. This means I kept contemporary techniques but I took my style from culture and tradition. For me, this translates to mixing the future and past in my paintings. Whatever work I do today is the picturization of the same idea.
Besides this, I got the opportunity to introduce new dimensions, forms, and subjects. So today I work in my style and type of work that is called “Impasto Contemporary Technique” and the basis of it comes from my culture, tradition, and the rich historic background of my country.
Although it was a hard transition coming from our senior artists Guljee Sadquain and Jameel Naqsh all of them were inspired by the European titles, in the way I have found a new direction, and have introduced a technique that will make expressionism easier for the coming generations.
I think that the troubles surrounding us, the beauties, the values, and other complexities that we don’t talk about, either from our past or the future; all have been brought together and incorporated in my technique.
In the coming times, our own geographical identity can have its type of Art. We do not require anything foreign to understand our identity; whatever we are we should take all the inspiration from the land Allah created us in. We should take this identity forward for our generations to come. This doesn’t require politics, or forces background, economy, or laws. All that we need is to make a just and patient society and walk on that path where we can preserve, flourish and take forward our identity and our Baqa.
WE HAVE TO KNOW, WHO WE ARE ? AND WHAT WE ARE?
Our Art is the basis of this and if we understand this advanced subject it will not be a difficult task. Maybe what I’m trying to say is not understandable to some, as the public is deceived and is distanced from the real truth. They are after the money and status matters and the world has become a complicated place. People have lost their real purpose in running after money and worldly competition.
To me poverty is not a bad state but staying in poverty is the problem, likewise, abundance is not the issue, but not knowing what to do with wealth is the issue.”
WHAT DOES YOUR ART REPRESENT?
“My art is all about “Noor Ul Samavath Wal Arz” Allah has created humans on the best of the characters, and inspiration is the main thing in this creation. Whoever is more inspired, is closer to his Creator. This is the aim of my paintings.
An artist has to have a life aim for his paintings with the basics of his technique and subject. The American and European experts say that artists bring their imagination on the canvas but I think differently, I want artists to bring the inspirations from The Higher Being, the Noor ul Samawath wal Arz from Allah should be brought to canvas and this should be made universal. This is why in my subject I use the names of Allah that have no binding to any religion, it is because I belong to this region is and I have done my art in Urdu or Arabic. Otherwise, all artists can do this in any language according to their own religious beliefs.”
HOW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER? DEFINE YOUR ART TECHNIQUES?
“I started my career with an advertising agency, called Paragon. Then I think I was lucky to get a chance to see Guljee Sahab very closely and understand his color pallet. I even applied Guljee’s color pallet in my work during my stay in Italy. It was a good period of my life and I think I could have excelled in Italy. Being a Pakistani of course I had to come back.
The other works that were close to my heart and I liked doing them was my thesis, on the “Islamic Motifs” and Wahdaniath of Allah. This inspiration came to me from the internal domes of the masjid. The echo of ‘Allah o Akbar’ that takes place just under the dome of masjid has always fascinated me. This also led me to choose this subject on Islamic Motifs.
When I came back to Karachi I also worked on Sea Scapes, as I lived near the sea, so I was influenced. We used to go to fishery classes with my Teacher Mr. Zaheen, this was a part of my inspiration. Then came the flowers, colors, abstracts, and a lot of Guljee Sahabs style.
Eventually, I moved towards my style that is cubism with a touch of rilli colors that I’m doing for the last 25 years. I still interchange all these forms once in a while and keep making different things. But my technique remains the same that is impasto, with thick color layers. I love color and I take good care of colors with title and subject all of this together creates my work and my values.
I got a great response on this style, although I never thought about the scope of my work, instead, I kept flowing with my work. I’ve tried to keep it simple, incorporating modernism to keep the learning process easy so people who come after me will have space for creativity.”
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTIST? WHO INSPIRES YOU?
“I think firstly we learn to get inspired when we start educating ourselves and the level of knowledge that we have enables us to be inspired from anyone. Foremost the inspiration is derived from Allah. Now if I come towards human form, then I would say most of all
Jackson Pollock who transferred all color on canvas and created his work in dripping form,
Then came Guljee Sahab who used sudden stroke and his pallets I loved.
Then Claude Monet who is the king of impressionism although he was not the first but certainly the best.
Mr. Zaheen who was the master of seascape and worked on sudden stroke or ‘fil badeeh’ with watercolors on many different subjects a very amazing artist of Pakistan.
These are the few people I’m influenced by and I am impressed by their work.”
YOUR FAVORITE MEDIUM?
“Oil paint, due to its slow nature it gives one time to create, and I use it in very thick layers, so it becomes more relevant and characteristic. Certainly, I’d say Oil.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TIME FOR WORK AND CREATIVITY?
“I think time is relevant to our internal self, state, and condition of our thoughts. It should not be relevant to worldly morning and evening, but having said that I think night brings about mystery. Allah has created this time for bodily rest, when I work after the evening it’s ideal as there is minimum distraction towards creativity.”
HOW IS ART IMPORTANT FOR SOCIETY?
“I think the creation of art is directly relevant to society. It is an essential element of every society. Beautifying society is called art. Starting from the way we talk, the way we behave, our social activities they are all art relevant.
It’s a Godly subject that we have forgotten about, in the fast-paced life.
In older days we believed everyone has art inside them, whoever found that was successful. Unfortunately, we don’t see this in the next generations.
Society and art are obligatory to each other. Art is the mother of all, if it’s absent in a society that society will not function, it cannot produce teachers, scientists, poets, writers, or anything else. Art gives us direction; there is no society without art.”
HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS AS AN ARTIST?
“It reminds me of Van Gogh who sold only 1 painting during his lifetime and was never famous in his lifetime. All his life he had hardships. But today he is successful he is a legend and imam of art. He taught patience, he taught people how to describe and praise and evaluate art.
So the artist is successful whenever he is true to his work and connects to the Higher Power and can transfer this imagination truly on his canvas, is the real success.”
HOW DO YOU MANAGE WORK-LIFE BALANCE AS AN ARTIST?
“To me, this is a complicated question; an artist is only able to work when he is lost in his world of imagination, tasawuf, spirituality, silence, it’s a different chapter altogether that is different from other chapters of our life that connects us to our people and the world around us.
I feel no one understands what we say, do, think and this is our alone time and a painful achievement. With age the work relativity increases and so does the loneliness, I think it’s a very hard time of our lives. It is impossible to be connected to the world and work at the same time.”
ANY MESSAGE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO OUR READERS?
My message is only Love, to reach everywhere. Love comes from the heart and spirit and its imagination increases all the good in life. It’s like the “Kun FayaKun” conditioning where you say and it happens.
Like Allama Iqbal says “I love those youngsters who plan for the stars.”
Our society doesn’t even know how to dream, leave alone plan, understand, and take it forward, we require training and education for expanding the imaginations of our youth.
Take your Love and imagination forward make it real; bring it in the real form to achieve growth.”
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The writer is the Creative Head at Ruralz Inc. It is an Interior Design firm in Karachi; she is also the
Co-Founder of the platform Identity Pakistan – A Social Patriotic Initiative. She can be reached at rularz.inc@gmail.com
