INVALID Photograph

Invalidation, rejection, refusal, dismissal, all these words refer to the act of being denied and denial be it in any form, can have disastrous consequences for one's psychological well-being that goes beyond mere emotional pain. In this performance piece for the 70's show at the Amin Gulgee gallery, Karachi I portrayed the worst form of exclusion i.e. social rejection whereby a group of people are dismissed from a social relationship. This form of nonacceptance takes us back to 1970 and the events which resulted in the division of Pakistan that resulted in massive bloodshed, state enforced rapes and discrimination towards Bengalis. In this piece, I am rendering myself INVALID in an attempt to express the magnitude of violence of such events from the past, where identities were shattered and recreated. The physical act of stamping on human skin in itself is quite an excruciating act in terms of noise and pain. The first half an hour or so of the 3 hour long performance took it's toll on me but gradually the body adapted to it, becoming numb, the way any body reacts to prolonged suffering i.e it internalizes pain and misery. Towards the end, my skin is entirely covered with stamp ink, still barely managing to capture the collective human suffering of the time.

Photography:Interactive on Soft (Yarn, Cotton, Fabric)

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:6 W x 8 H x 0.1 D in

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