2009 IB HL Visual Art Exhibition: Abdullah Khan

The content of my exhibition addresses the theme of transformation on many levels. Our lives are filled with zillions of seemingly unimportant transformations that come together to define us. The ideas for my pieces grew from the realization that small changes contribute to the final transformation – my life.
As I created, I found myself wanting to experiment with new media. Ink washes became an essential element and lead to trials with acrylic as well. In the piece “Khush?”, I applied an acrylic wash over stencils onto unprimed wood. The combination of the wash and the thin stencils resulted in soggy stencils and unrecognizable shapes. Instead of losing hope because of a mishap I decided to continue layering. Now, I see “Khush?” as a piece that reflects a different style from the rest of my work. I found a new approach and learned from the process because of a ‘mistake’.
The influence of crows came from an album called “Kuwwa” by an underground Karachi based band. Music in general has been a critical factor for my creativity. Snippets from lyrics of Radiohead songs account for most of my titles.
At first research seemed tedious and unnecessary. But once the realization of me being an artist came along- I found myself making the most of every exhibition visit and every opportunity to record in my workbook. Toulouse Lautrec showed me how using vibrant color and raw texture can create an extravagant painting; Microbo’s organic but slick style appealed to me; Banksy’s mysterious profile and his portrayal of undignified animals was and is still inspirational. I became so comfortable working within the boundaries of my sketchbook that it was a challenge for me to start working on a larger scale. However, once I gave myself over to the idea, it liberated me.