Haider Ali has been a resident artist with Vasl Artists’ Association from May 2018 to August 2018, he has developed a body of work which reflects on the changing landscapes of his city and surroundings. Conurbations includes an experimental survey, documenting weather changes and its impact on man-made materials and the ruptures between human development and the inevitable forces of nature. Through his work he has looked at two urban corners of the city of Karachi, which continue to escalate beyond the given parameters of land. Haider articulates this horizontal and vertical proliferation through his own installations and visual dialogue.

Conurbations by Haider Ali Naqvi

There can never be a singular narration behind the story of Karachi’s conception as a city. Ever changing and constantly shifting, there is a perpetual sense of transformation that pervades this city. It is at times a metropolis of construction and destruction, explosion and implosion and a contrast between compression and expansion. ‘Conurbations’ is a personal examination of the city; I am intrigued by the ruptures caused by human development and the inevitable forces of nature. This relinquished exhibition space not only acts as a disrupted stage for each of the detail orientated works displayed within and between the layers of debris, but it also pulls the viewer straight into the dichotomy of change in our city.

Haider Ali Naqvi was born in June 1992 in Karachi, Pakistan. He received his BFA in 2015 from the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore with distinction. Much of the visual content in his work derives from the places he has been to and his experiences while visiting and/or living there. Haider is interested in the built environment, particularly architectural spaces which we as humans move in and out of.