Text | Amra Ali
Courtesy | Grosvenor Gallery

At a recent collaboration between Canvas Gallery, Karachi, and Grosvenor Gallery, London, historian/curator Zehra Jumabhoy put together an engaging show titled, ‘Patterns of the Past: Weaving Heritage in Pakistani Art’. London based Jumabhoy strung together the narrative of five artists, namely Adeela Suleman, Ruby Chishti, Bushra Waqas Khan, David Alesworth and Liaquat Rasul whose practices, although anchored in textile as connector, were diverse within their individual histories, in their intentions, processes and materiality. You enter the physical space in London, or remotely and online as I did from my home in Karachi, viewing individual works, gallery installation shots, curator’s essay and a virtual seminar. The notion of “viewing” time, the dynamics between viewer and the viewed shifts from the big opening night and coming together of people of pre-pandemic past, to a more fluid and on-going wider access to the narrative, thanks to the gallery website.