Art Circus Spotlight
‘Puddle reflecting a glimpse into the architectural past, a past that should persist in the present’ by Fatima Khan

Mehr Khan

I have been continually challenged to rediscover classic traditional architecture of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, allowing lost period to be witnessed by modern eyes. Through my paintings I am trying to bring the old world charm in new era. My recent paintings combine neglected architecture of the past and elements of present time, using different forms of reflection; such as a glass window and in a water puddle, the later which can be seen in ‘Puddle reflecting a glimpse into the architectural past, a past that should persist in the present’, shown above,

I am interested in forgotten and neglected architecture of the past; working on the idea that past architecture should persist in the present. While at the same time there is a sad sense of loss and passing of an era. I am combining elements of past and present. It’s an overlap of historic architecture and current times.

My interest in past architecture has allowed me to keep buildings as my main object. My central object is recognizable, yet has the evanescent quality to it. These old buildings represent precise moments in history. These are not famous historical architectural landmarks, yet these neglected buildings are part of history which interests me. It’s a symbolic and emotional representation of personal search of buildings that are partially masked by today’s world and how they eventually reveal inner realities. I have worked from found photos along with the ones I took myself. Photography is the reference point. Some amount of alteration is done for aesthetic composition. There are no figures in the paintings, allowing the viewer to engage with the work and be part of it.

fatima1

This Painting is titled ‘Reflection that overlaps current times onto threatened historical architecture.’ The neglected building is from Ahmedabad, Gujrat, India. The building is encased in a glass and reflection on the glass window is of London Street, that is, the current time is reflected on it. The reflection shows that how the current times or today’s world has masked these buildings of the past. It is all about past architecture and present time. This painting is made up of 5-6 photographs. And it took me around 6 weeks to make it. The interesting thing about this painting is that it was this piece that changed my painting style and lead to making of the other three recent paintings of reflection.

See more paintings by Fatima Khan