Karachi’s urgency for an apathetic urban development and new, unregularized housing schemes are testament to the greed of developers at the cost of the dreams of a common man.

As a city constantly in a state of flux, it experiences an ironic contrast of new developments that promise a better tomorrow, versus the unregulated destruction of the present and an organic past. This creates an unsteady and unsustainable future for the urban environment. In this process, the architectural and environmental legacy of the city is continually degraded.

One of the most blatant ironies of this dilemma can be witnessed in the manufactured glamor of advertisements of luxury villas, modern apartment complexes, and prosperous housing societies. They come packed in commercial imagery that mocks itself and bold promises that at times defy reality. Yet people buy these dreams, and believe the redemptive promises-thankful for those lucrative deals and instalment plans.

About Arsalan:
Arsalan Nasir (b.1990) is a visual artist based in Karachi, Pakistan. He graduated with a BFA (with Distinction) from the University of Karachi, 2013. And completed his Master’s Degree in Art & Design Studies from Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, 2017 where he received the UMMESA South Asia Scholarship Award. Nasir has showcased his work in several exhibitions. The most recent of which was his solo presentation at Karachi Biennale 19 (KB19) where he was awarded the Emerging Artist Prize. He has also participated in several art residencies, including: Incubator, 2014 by Sanat Initiative, Karachi; Regional Dialogues, 2017, 9th Taaza Tareen Residency at Vasl Artists’ Association, in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Foundation and IRL; in real life, 2020, at V.M Art Gallery. He has worked as a Scale Model Artist at KSEW Pakistan Navy from 2014 to 2017.

Nasir is currently an Assistant Professor at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture and is visiting faculty at the Department of Textile Design Technologies, Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP) in Karachi. Nasir specializes in New Media forms of art and interactive installations embedding social and environmental critical narratives in his work.