Karachi, May 2016 – At Canvas Gallery, visual artist Syeda M. Habib presents a compelling exhibition titled “Fractured Narratives,” exploring the collision of historical legacy and contemporary chaos. Her work fuses Mughal-inspired imagery with modern-day newspaper clippings to build a visual timeline that links the cultural richness of the past with the information-saturated digital present.
Habib’s art invites viewers to reconsider how far we have drifted from our spiritual and cultural foundations. “Fractured Narratives” uses discarded daily newspapers—symbols of transitory information—and overlays them with motifs from Mughal miniature art, creating a visual harmony between eras. The result is a critique of modern self-centeredness and an overreliance on digital media.
A notable piece shows a red-dominated composition with a buffalo and a man, symbolizing tension between primal instincts and human intellect. Another artwork titled “Leap of Faith” features infinite geometric boxes and a lone human figure attempting to jump over them—an allegory for man’s struggle against technological distractions in pursuit of spiritual clarity.
Curator Sameera Raja praised the exhibition for its research-intensive approach and rare integration of historical references into contemporary art. Renowned critic Marjorie Husain also noted the layered symbolism in Habib’s work, particularly its relevance to today’s emotionally fractured, media-dominated world.
The recurring circle and hexagon motifs are not merely decorative. They metaphorically represent human chaos and the fragmented attention economy driven by the overwhelming flow of information.
According to the artist, the core of this body of work revolves around how mass media and technology interrupt the human connection with God and inner peace. “We are bombarded with news to the point where it becomes a barrier between us and the spiritual self,” said Habib.
The exhibition runs at Canvas Gallery, Karachi, until May 19, 2016.
Original Source Acknowledgment:
This summary is a reworded interpretation of an article originally written by Umer Sheikh and published in The News International. You can access the original piece here: Fractured Narratives — one foot in the past, other in the present – The News International