Disputed Territory (Primary Title)
Noor Ali Chagani, Pakistani, born 1982 (Artist)
“The brick is a unit that is used repetitively; it is a unit of strength, power and support. It talks about land ownership and possession. It shows a constant struggle between retaining one’s identity and yet blending with the masses.” —Noor Ali Chagani
Like fellow artists trained in traditional Indian painting at Lahore’s National College of Arts, Noor Ali Chagani grapples with the medium’s relevance to contemporary life and seeks to defy its expectations. Moving into the third dimension, he translates the rigors of miniature painting into sculptural objects, notably small walls constructed of tiny handmade bricks that evoke the built landscapes of his experience. Embellished with stucco, whitewash, and graffiti, his constructions’ worn surfaces and palimpsest texts suggest the passage of time and the decay of communities. Atop barely legible layers indexing previous histories, painted writing tells of a legal claim, “For Public Information: Contested Property,” followed by contact information for a High Court lawyer. Engaging the quintessential South Asian politics of identity, belonging, and ownership, Chagani’s walls demarcate public and private spaces and serve as reminders of India’s Partition and the divisions between communities.
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