British Council, V&A museum hold exhibition to mark 75th anniversary of Pakistan

KARACHI: The British Council and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) have launched What is Seen and What is Not by inter-disciplinary artist Osman Yousefzada, at the V&A in London. This series of interventions responds to the 75th anniversary of Pakistan and explores themes of displacement, movement, migration, and the impact of the climate crisis.

The interventions across the museum are free to visit, and have been commissioned by the British Council in partnership with the V&A and the High Commission of Pakistan as part of the British Council’s festival season ‘Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives.’

Osman’s work is a tripartite of site-specific works, and brings together textiles, wrapped objects and a seating installation to showcase the rich variety of traditional and contemporary Pakistani craftsmanship. Together, the works present Osman’s unique and highly personal perspective on migratory experience and identity and offers a subtle and contemplative space to engage with objects and craft techniques rooted in the heritages of Pakistani culture. Working collaboratively with local craftsmen, Osman developed new techniques and stitches - working on non-traditional materials, which he compliments with painting, producing a body of work reflecting on shrines and ritualised spaces of transcendence.

Osman Yousefzada said: “It’s a great honour to be commissioned to reflect on the 75 years of Pakistan’s independence. What is Seen and What is Not offers a portrait of contemporary Pakistan, through a British diasporic lens as it attempts to reel away from colonial subjugation. However, Pakistan is still a casualty of neo-colonial structures, contributing less than 1% to green gas emissions and in return it is the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, as rising temperatures result in great floods and an eventual loss of the Himalayan ice reservoirs, causing tremendous displacement and a loss of homeland to its people.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022