Imran Channa
Encyclopedia
Imran Channa is a contemporary visual artist based in Lahore
, Pakistan
. He was born on 21 September 1981 in Shikarpur, Sindh
. He works in multiple media, including painting
, drawing
, sculpture
, digital art
and interactive art
. He has been exhibiting nationally and internationally. He is currently a finalist for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2010 Hong Kong. He teaches at the National College of Arts
, Lahore
. He lives and works in Lahore.
in 1998, he moved to Hyderabad
to explore art, where he met with artist, art teacher and writer Fatah Halepoto. He worked for 3 years in Hyderabad under the influence of his teacher . In 2001 he enrolled in the Department of Fine Arts at National College of Arts, Lahore
. Again he enrolled in the same institution in MA Hons Visual Arts Programme. He finished his MA Hons in Visual Arts in 2008.
In Starring: The Artist, Quddus Mirza said, "The interplay of obvious and unusualness makes his work, interesting and intriguing."
Reflecting on the focus of his work and its impact, Yee-Wan Koon in MUSE wrote, "Imran Channa's work is based on historical perspectives. He questions the authenticity of history, which is constructed and manipulated by the power."
"Find The Real Jinnah", work exhibited nationally and internationally many time in Redo Pakistan](Lahore, Karachi, London) "Rising Tide", Mohatta Palace Karachi, "creating common wealth"Creating Common Wealth India, "between black and white" canvas gallery karachi." The art critic Maheen Bashir Adam Jee wrote in the article "messages for The Discerning" that: "Channa’s work, ‘Making of the History,’ defies the norm with its very title. The deliberate inclusion of “the” in the title challenges more than just grammar. Channa questions the veracity of the Badshahnama – a tale of kings, commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan – and the practice of getting one’s history written under one’s own auspices. The authenticity of Badshahnama’s account, on the making of the Taj Mahal, was first called into question by historian P.N. Oak, who asserted that the Taj Mahal was, in fact, an ancient Hindu temple of Lord Shiva, usurped for Queen Mumtaz Mahal."
Badshahnama
This is his latest body of work in which was displayed in TMproject gallery Geneva, Switzerland,this is most influential work criticism on Badshahnama (Padshahnama
in Persian) (Book of Kings) through art perspective on making of the history. This exhibition was the part of 50 JPEG off programme Quartier des Bains large art Events held in Geneva Switzerland and Channa's work got highly appreciated in Geneva.
On This body of work Channa stated that " This body of work is based on historical visual investigation of the most celebrated book on Mughal miniature painting called BADSHAHNAMA (The book of Kings). Basically, the BADSHAHNAMA is known as the great book of Mughal miniature painting. It is written as the official history of Mughal kings in Shah Jahan's reign. The main purpose of this book is to preserve and document the official visual history of Mughal kings. It is a commissioned book of Mughal history in traditional art of miniature painting. This book, on traditional art, was designed as a historical propaganda of the Mughal times.
In this work I have dislocated and manipulated all the images of the book, creating the sense of construction, so as to question the making and authenticity of the history, by digitalizing this traditional miniature to question its conventional and traditional methods of making which is considered as unique and sacred piece of art.”
For the sake of art Channa travelled to Europe where he visited a lot of museums like Musée du Louvre Musée d'Orsay
, Uffizi
Polo Museale Galleria dell'Accademia, Museo Nazionale etrusco di Villa Giulia and so on, where he encountered with the history of art .Nowadays he is working on the project called "Museums and Meanings".
In 2010, Channa embarked on an international tour along with the group Redo Pakistan, with multiple shows across London.
2011, “After All” group show curated by Quddus Mirza at Royat gallery.
2011. Contemporary Shahnama, millennium painting Exhibition traveling show at NCA in Lahore.
2011, Common Threads: Contemporary Art from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Pakistan. Xerxes gallery with NMart gallery at the Bastakiya at the Heritage House Gallery. Duabi.
2010: The sovereign Asian Art prize finalist exhibition, ARTSPACE at Helutrans, Singapore.
2010: The Rising Tide, Group Show, curated by Naiza khan at Mohatta Palace Karachi. http://www.mohattapalacemuseum.com/Homepage.htm
2010: Slick 2010. Art fair, Paris.
2010: Creating Common wealth, Group show Curated by Ragini Gallery, New Delhi India. http://zhang3feng.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/creating-commonwealth-exhibition-in-new-delhi/
2010: "Fatah Je Asay Pasay" Group show (Green Cardamom) at V.M. Art Gallery Karachi, Sindh Museum Hyderabad http://www.vmartgallery.org/collaborative/collaborative_show.php
2010: "Badshahnama" Solo show at Tmproject Gallery Geneva, Switzerland. http://www.TMproject.ch/en/expositions_passees.htm
2010: "Structures Within An Intervention" - A Group Show curated by Meenakshi Thirukode at The Guild Art Gallery, New York, USA.
2010: "Making of The History" Two-person show at Canvas Gallery Karachi. http://www.newslinemagazine.com/category/artandculture/art-artandculture/
2010: "The Havelian Express" 3 person show at CAIS Gallery Hong Kong. http://www.caisgallery.com/v2/artist/artist.php?id=9435http://whitneyferrare.com/upcoming-shows
2009: "Tradition & Tension" 4 person show at Art Scene Gallery Karachi http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=1000633&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
2009: "Patrons Of "Oh My God! I Can Buy Art!" Group show at Grey Noise gallery Lahore. http://beta.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/in-paper-magazine/gallery/fresh-perspectives
2009: Redo Pakistan. Deptford X festival London http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgreen/4661159.DEPTFORD__Pakistan_exhibition_is_a_festival_hit/ http://www.artrabbit.com/uk/events/event&event=14671
2009: Redo Pakistan Group show in the form of symposium at Alhamra art council Lahore
2009: "Between Black & White" 4 person show at Canvas Gallery Karachi. http://picasaweb.google.com/canvasgallery/BetweenBlackAndWhite140409#5323027953899945906
2009: "Redo Pakistan" a traveling show (Karachi, Lahore, Pakistan, England, UK, Dhaka, Bangladesh) arranged by Other Asias, a London based organization at Shanakhit Festival 2009 Karachi.
2009: "Starring: The Artist" Group show at Indus Valley Gallery Karachi
2008: Degree show at Zahoor-ul-Akhalq Gallery National College of Arts.
2008: Young artist exhibition at Alhmara Art Council Lahore.
2007: “Dropping Tears Together” an anokha laadla collective live art
performance at Alhamra
Art Council Lahore. http://www.qasimrizashaheen.com/bio.html
2006: “Places Real and Imagined" Group Exhibition at Alhamra Art
Gallery, Lahore. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2006%5C05%5C30%5Cstory_30-5-2006_pg13_5
2005: “Art Aid” Group Exhibition at Convention Center Islamabad.
2005: “Voices” Group Exhibition by Pakistan Development Forum
Islamabad.
2005: “Emerging Talent” Group Exhibition at V.M. Art Gallery
Karachi.
2005: "Memories" Degree Show at National College of Arts Lahore.
2003: Group Exhibition of water colors at Art Scene Gallery, Lahore.
2002: Group Exhibition of Printmaking at Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery
Lahore.
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He was born on 21 September 1981 in Shikarpur, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. He works in multiple media, including painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
and interactive art
Interactive art
Interactive art is a form of installation-based art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some installations achieve this by letting the observer or visitor "walk" in, on, and around them; Some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork.Works of...
. He has been exhibiting nationally and internationally. He is currently a finalist for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2010 Hong Kong. He teaches at the National College of Arts
National College of Arts
The National College of Arts Lahore, usually referred to by its acronym NCA, is a famous old college in Lahore, Pakistan.Like all old institutions, the National College of Arts, has a historical tradition. Much of its present tone was set long ago when it was known as the Mayo School of Arts...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He lives and works in Lahore.
Life
Imran Channa was born in Shikarpur, Sindh. After completing his initial education in ShikarpurShikarpur District
Shikarpur district is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Shikarpur is the capital. It is spread over an area of 2,512 km2, according to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 880,438 of which 23.51% were urban....
in 1998, he moved to Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Sindh
is the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the seventh largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot...
to explore art, where he met with artist, art teacher and writer Fatah Halepoto. He worked for 3 years in Hyderabad under the influence of his teacher . In 2001 he enrolled in the Department of Fine Arts at National College of Arts, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. Again he enrolled in the same institution in MA Hons Visual Arts Programme. He finished his MA Hons in Visual Arts in 2008.
Art career
Various critics and publications have spoken of the direction and impact of Channa's work. Asim Akhtar in Pause Play wrote, "There is a revolutionary lexicography behind Channa’s visual vocabulary that is deeply rooted in the syntax and morphology of that visual modernity, and without it one will never learn how to read his pictures. His art is the very vision of an alterity that sets the political tyranny of language off balance – and with that liberates those who have gathered around the festive occasion of his art."In Starring: The Artist, Quddus Mirza said, "The interplay of obvious and unusualness makes his work, interesting and intriguing."
Reflecting on the focus of his work and its impact, Yee-Wan Koon in MUSE wrote, "Imran Channa's work is based on historical perspectives. He questions the authenticity of history, which is constructed and manipulated by the power."
"Find The Real Jinnah", work exhibited nationally and internationally many time in Redo Pakistan](Lahore, Karachi, London) "Rising Tide", Mohatta Palace Karachi, "creating common wealth"Creating Common Wealth India, "between black and white" canvas gallery karachi." The art critic Maheen Bashir Adam Jee wrote in the article "messages for The Discerning" that: "Channa’s work, ‘Making of the History,’ defies the norm with its very title. The deliberate inclusion of “the” in the title challenges more than just grammar. Channa questions the veracity of the Badshahnama – a tale of kings, commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan – and the practice of getting one’s history written under one’s own auspices. The authenticity of Badshahnama’s account, on the making of the Taj Mahal, was first called into question by historian P.N. Oak, who asserted that the Taj Mahal was, in fact, an ancient Hindu temple of Lord Shiva, usurped for Queen Mumtaz Mahal."
Latest work
Memories seriesBadshahnama
This is his latest body of work in which was displayed in TMproject gallery Geneva, Switzerland,this is most influential work criticism on Badshahnama (Padshahnama
Padshah Nama
The Padshahnama is a genre of works written as the official visual history of Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan’s reign. Most significant work of this genre was written by Abdul Hamid Lahori in two volumes.-History:...
in Persian) (Book of Kings) through art perspective on making of the history. This exhibition was the part of 50 JPEG off programme Quartier des Bains large art Events held in Geneva Switzerland and Channa's work got highly appreciated in Geneva.
On This body of work Channa stated that " This body of work is based on historical visual investigation of the most celebrated book on Mughal miniature painting called BADSHAHNAMA (The book of Kings). Basically, the BADSHAHNAMA is known as the great book of Mughal miniature painting. It is written as the official history of Mughal kings in Shah Jahan's reign. The main purpose of this book is to preserve and document the official visual history of Mughal kings. It is a commissioned book of Mughal history in traditional art of miniature painting. This book, on traditional art, was designed as a historical propaganda of the Mughal times.
In this work I have dislocated and manipulated all the images of the book, creating the sense of construction, so as to question the making and authenticity of the history, by digitalizing this traditional miniature to question its conventional and traditional methods of making which is considered as unique and sacred piece of art.”
For the sake of art Channa travelled to Europe where he visited a lot of museums like Musée du Louvre Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
, Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
Polo Museale Galleria dell'Accademia, Museo Nazionale etrusco di Villa Giulia and so on, where he encountered with the history of art .Nowadays he is working on the project called "Museums and Meanings".
In 2010, Channa embarked on an international tour along with the group Redo Pakistan, with multiple shows across London.
Exhibitions
2011, “The Memory is The Message” solo show at XVA gallery Dubai, UAE.2011, “After All” group show curated by Quddus Mirza at Royat gallery.
2011. Contemporary Shahnama, millennium painting Exhibition traveling show at NCA in Lahore.
2011, Common Threads: Contemporary Art from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Pakistan. Xerxes gallery with NMart gallery at the Bastakiya at the Heritage House Gallery. Duabi.
2010: The sovereign Asian Art prize finalist exhibition, ARTSPACE at Helutrans, Singapore.
2010: The Rising Tide, Group Show, curated by Naiza khan at Mohatta Palace Karachi. http://www.mohattapalacemuseum.com/Homepage.htm
2010: Slick 2010. Art fair, Paris.
2010: Creating Common wealth, Group show Curated by Ragini Gallery, New Delhi India. http://zhang3feng.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/creating-commonwealth-exhibition-in-new-delhi/
2010: "Fatah Je Asay Pasay" Group show (Green Cardamom) at V.M. Art Gallery Karachi, Sindh Museum Hyderabad http://www.vmartgallery.org/collaborative/collaborative_show.php
2010: "Badshahnama" Solo show at Tmproject Gallery Geneva, Switzerland. http://www.TMproject.ch/en/expositions_passees.htm
2010: "Structures Within An Intervention" - A Group Show curated by Meenakshi Thirukode at The Guild Art Gallery, New York, USA.
2010: "Making of The History" Two-person show at Canvas Gallery Karachi. http://www.newslinemagazine.com/category/artandculture/art-artandculture/
2010: "The Havelian Express" 3 person show at CAIS Gallery Hong Kong. http://www.caisgallery.com/v2/artist/artist.php?id=9435http://whitneyferrare.com/upcoming-shows
2009: "Tradition & Tension" 4 person show at Art Scene Gallery Karachi http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=1000633&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
2009: "Patrons Of "Oh My God! I Can Buy Art!" Group show at Grey Noise gallery Lahore. http://beta.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/in-paper-magazine/gallery/fresh-perspectives
2009: Redo Pakistan. Deptford X festival London http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgreen/4661159.DEPTFORD__Pakistan_exhibition_is_a_festival_hit/ http://www.artrabbit.com/uk/events/event&event=14671
2009: Redo Pakistan Group show in the form of symposium at Alhamra art council Lahore
2009: "Between Black & White" 4 person show at Canvas Gallery Karachi. http://picasaweb.google.com/canvasgallery/BetweenBlackAndWhite140409#5323027953899945906
2009: "Redo Pakistan" a traveling show (Karachi, Lahore, Pakistan, England, UK, Dhaka, Bangladesh) arranged by Other Asias, a London based organization at Shanakhit Festival 2009 Karachi.
2009: "Starring: The Artist" Group show at Indus Valley Gallery Karachi
2008: Degree show at Zahoor-ul-Akhalq Gallery National College of Arts.
2008: Young artist exhibition at Alhmara Art Council Lahore.
2007: “Dropping Tears Together” an anokha laadla collective live art
performance at Alhamra
Art Council Lahore. http://www.qasimrizashaheen.com/bio.html
2006: “Places Real and Imagined" Group Exhibition at Alhamra Art
Gallery, Lahore. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2006%5C05%5C30%5Cstory_30-5-2006_pg13_5
2005: “Art Aid” Group Exhibition at Convention Center Islamabad.
2005: “Voices” Group Exhibition by Pakistan Development Forum
Islamabad.
2005: “Emerging Talent” Group Exhibition at V.M. Art Gallery
Karachi.
2005: "Memories" Degree Show at National College of Arts Lahore.
2003: Group Exhibition of water colors at Art Scene Gallery, Lahore.
2002: Group Exhibition of Printmaking at Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery
Lahore.
Further reading
- Gasworks residencies UK
- Asim Akhtar. PAUSE PLAY. Libas international Magazine, Volume 23 issue 22010. Lahore.
- Quddus Mirza. His pupil's voice, The News. Jul2010. http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2010-weekly/nos-18-07-2010/enc.htm
- Ed, Anita Dawood, Fatah jay Aassay Paassay. In the Milieu of fatah Halepoto, published by Green Cardamom, London. ISBN 978-0-9561829-0-6 http://www.greencardamom.net/newsletter/Newsletter.html#FATAH
- Taimur Ahmed. Think Beauty and Heritage. Herald. August 2010.
- Salwat-ali, Brush with the Past. Newslinemagazine. 25 August 2010. Karachi http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2010/08/brush-with-the-past/
- Adamjee, Maheen Bashir. Messages for the Discerning, NEWSLINE, 31 May 2010, Karachi. http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2010/05/messages-for-the-discerning/
- Ali, Salwat. Miniature on the March. Daily Dawn, April 25, 2010, Karachi. http://dawnnews.tv/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/in-paper-magazine/gallery/artmart-miniature-on-the-march-540
- Ahmad H, Ameer. Nostalgia, experimentalism and political games: ‘Making of History/Green Patrol’. Daily Times, April 15, 2010, Karachi. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C04%5C15%5Cstory_15-4-2010_pg12_5
- McInnis, Whitney Ferrare. The Havelian Express, ArtAsiaPacific Almanac 2010. Magazine
- Yee-Wan Koon, Blindness and Insight, MUSE, February, 2010, Hong Kong
- Agnew, Mary. The Havelian Express, TimeOut Hong Kong, 19 Jan 2010. http://www.timeout.com.hk/art/features/31422/the-havelian-express.html
- McInnis, Whitney Ferrare. The Havelian Express, Orientations (The magazine for art collectors and connoisseurs of Asian Art). Volume 41 - Number 1 - January/February 2010
- McInnis, Whitney Ferrare. The Havelian Express, Asian Art News January/February 2010
- Zuberi,Nadeem . Art Fact: 'Tradition and Tension'. Business Recorder December 26, 2009 Karachi. http://www.businessrecorder.com.pk/index.php?id=1000633&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
- Dar, Saira, Fresh Perspectives, Sunday 22 November, Dawn.com. http://dawnrelief.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/in-paper-magazine/gallery/fresh-perspectives
- 2009. Ahsan Hamja, Pakistani Pavilion: PROJECT BIENNALE. PROJECT BIENNALE is an anthology of critical writing and visual projects that reflect on current political issues surrounding international biennale exhibitions. This publication is supported by Chelsea College of Art & Design, University of the Arts London; Department of Art History & Theory, University of Essex; and, Sheffield Hallam University.
- 2009. Mirza, Quddus Starring: The Artist. IVS Publication Karachi.
- Aleem, Uzma. Art transforms into industry. The Nation, Sunday Plus. Lahore. January 4, 2009
- Naeem, Mian. Fusing Real with abstract. Weekly Cutting Edge. Lahore 20 June 2007.
- Farrukh Niilofur. Art and Sensibility Daily News Karachi Mar 2005. http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2005/03/art-and-sensibility/
- http://www.vmartgallery.org/collaborative/collaborative_show.php
- http://beta.brecorder.com/single/72/0/1053858:art-facts-contemporary-miniature-concerns.html
- http://blog.fursid.com/blogged/redo-pakistan/
- http://www.geneveartcontemporain.ch/infos.php?id=19
- http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile//107420.html
- http://whitneyferrare.com/upcoming-shows
- http://www.greencardamom.net/exhibitions/exhibitions_page.php?id=46
- http://www.timeout.com.hk/art/features/31422/the-havelian-express.html
- http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C07%5C07%5Cstory_7-7-2010_pg12_8
- http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100910/REVIEW/709099992/1008/ART
- http://www.nca.edu.pk/multimedia.htm
- http://www.artslant.com/cn/artists/show/133742-imran-channa
- http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2010-weekly/nos-18-07-2010/enc.htm
- http://www.businessrecorder.com.pk/index.php?currDate=2010-09-02&currMIndex=19&currSIndex=&supDate=2010-07-17&currPageNo=1
- http://www.caisgallery.com/v2/artist/artist.php?id=9435&mode=biography
- http://www.50jpg.ch/index.php?/ongoing/off/