My first day in Karachi was a good one. We started the day with some Halwa Puri, then Ali Salman Anchan took me to Frere Hall, where we had both wanted to see the famous ceiling mural by the incredible Sadquain. It was every bit as incredible I had hoped.
After that, we head over to a fair where Phool Patti had a booth. I reconnected with my friend Haider Ali, an excellent truck artist I met when he was in Los Angeles, showcasing his work. Haider and Ali Salman formed Phool Patti to showcase the beauty of Pakistani truck art to the world, and to help create opportunities for fellow artists. I will be sharing more about their work soon.
I also met a group called Multan Lok Raqs Party (meaning Multan Folk Dance Party) who put on beautiful dancing horse and camel performances using large wearable puppets. They are based out of Multan, and travel the country to showcase their art. They use instruments such as Shehnai, dhol and chapri. I spoke to The deputy in charge of the group Ijaz Hussain, though the group is lead by Muhammad Sharif who was not in attendance. These are great performers, musicians and artists and as always, I would be happy to directly connect anyone that may like to hire them to perform.
Here's a short promo video I just created for the group:
Multan Lok Raqs Party from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.
There was even a puppet show at the fair, run by a group of student volunteers part of a group called Thespianz Theater. They were very friendly and I enjoyed photographing the puppets. The event itself did not create the kind of atmosphere that groups like the Multan Lok Raqa Party deserve. It would also have been great if the organizers had hired some professional puppeteers to really showcase what they can do.
Still, it was great to meet the Raqs party. I am a step closer to reaching some puppeteers.
I rode with Haider on his motorcycle, through some nutty traffic.
motorcycle ride in Karachi from Adnan Hussain on Vimeo.
During the event, we received news of an attack on a Shia place of worship in Peshawar. The people of this country are what make it such an incredible place. There is a great deal of pain here, and huge challenges for people just going about their daily lives, but I see these artists and regular everyday people caught in the middle, just trying to earn enough to get by, trying to raise their kids, and give them the kind of joy they had in their childhoods.
Artists have a great deal to contribute to the cause of nurturing communities and showing them what we were and could be in the future. With more care, an event like this could really enrich these kids that deserve so much more from us. The artists are clearly ready to do their part.
Later, I got to see a phool patti (truck art) workshop with some trucks in the process of being decorated into pieces of mobile art.
