Camouflage 2

  Black Mother of Pearl, White Marble (Stone Inlay)

Zunnurain's work tries to use the traditional Indo-Islamic Mosaic art as a medium of expression and its relevance to contemporary art practices. The medium of color mosaics such as Pachchikari (stone inlay), kaashikari (glazed color tiles mosaic), kaanchkari (color glass mosaic), and many other mediums have a longstanding tradition in the Indo-Islamic art world. The famous monument of Taj mahal, Itmad ud Daulah, Lahore fort, and many others throughout India and Pakistan are examples of this tradition. These historical sites still remain the home for many traditional artisans, involved in these crafts for several generations. With the changing patronage and demand, some of them have survived and some are now on the brink of extinction. The current works are in relation to my longstanding engagement and experience with the mosaic craft practices in Indo-Islamic tradition. In general, it is the role of mosaic to bring in together the fragments into a new whole where the Indo-Islamic mosaic art has championed this concept by also incorporating the visual elements, materials, techniques, and ideas from various cultural backgrounds such as European, Persian and Chinese.In a way, making it a product of cultural mosaic. Fragmentation and unity is the basic concept of mosaic, and this dualistic idea is prevalent in our society too, making it appear very illusive. Using the medium of mosaic to express this elusive nature of our cultural mosaic under the heading of Camouflage (it is not what it seems) provides a structure and an edge to Zunnurain's works."My exhibited artworks testify to this engagement where I have tried to disguise the predators in an iconic "TREE OF LIFE" image of famous SIDI SAIYED JAALI by giving a new twist to the narrative."