BEYOND THE FRAME

“Anyone weaving through the bookstalls at the recently concluded Lahore Literary Festival would have found it hard to ignore The Eye Still Seeks, a flashy new tome affirming the rude health of contemporary Pakistani art. I mean rude: at a hefty 12 x 10 inches, with a gleaming gold square on either side of its dark grey cover, the book resembles a trophy or souvenir, and even brings to mind one of those decorous boxes in which wealthy Pakistanis nowadays send out invitation cards for many-splendored weddings. “A panoramic view,” the back cover cries in uproarious caps, in case you weren’t feeling the festive vibe, “of the vibrant, brilliant world of contemporary Pakistani art…”

Huma Mulji, Suburban Dream