Jamil Baloch
Born in 1972 in Noshki (Pakistan)
Lives and works in Lahore (Pakistan)
Jamil Baloch is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work narrates the impact of socio-political division in our societal structures. He obtained his BFA from the National College of Arts, Lahore, in 1997. His work has been shown in a number of solo exhibitions, at galleries including: Sanat Art Gallery, Karachi; Couadro Art Gallery, Dubai; ArtChowk Gallery, Karachi; Canvas Gallery, Karachi; Vermont Studio Center, USA; and Gandhara Art Space, Karachi. His work has been exhibited extensively in group shows, both nationally and internationally, in countries such as: USA; UK; UAE; France; China; Japan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Sri Lanka; and Malaysia, as well as the Sea+ Triennale in Indonesia. He has also won several awards, including an Honourable Mention Prize at the 13th Asian Art Biennale, Dhaka. He currently teaches at the National College of Arts, Lahore. His art practice draws from the world that surrounds him, aesthetically and conceptually, and this has entailed a multi-disciplinary approach, spanning sculpture, drawing, painting, new media and mixed-media installation.
Baloch’s sculptural installation for the Karachi Biennale 2017, Mega Project, revolves around the concentration of power within the elite, and how such an imbalance tramples those outside of this circle of society. Whilst the work can be read as a critique of the social structure of Pakistan, and the inspiration derives from the artist’s own region, Balochistan, it transcends specific categorisation as such. Rather, Mega Project denounces a pervasive, universal exploitation of human rights and the malefaction of those in positions of power and authority, denying the majority opportunities whilst projecting this duplicitous denial as for the people’s betterment, in order to maintain their own bloated status. This is perfectly captured by the visual allegory visible in Baloch’s sculptural installation; the anonymous, enwrapped bodies, with tyre tracks displacing their forms, symbolise the elite’s detached disregard for the downtrodden.
