For Sale [Orientalism for Sale] (2012)

The 'Orientalism for Sale' series consists of various autonomous paper-cut drawings, sculptures, collages, and a neon light. Through them, a narrative is created that unfolds through the construction and deconstruction of myths, signs and symbols. These include the fantastical (read cliché) flying rug of the Arabian past, the decorative art of Islamic culture and its currency, brilliant geometric and arabesques patterns, and the imperialist Western hegemonic ideology of global capitalism and its chief currency, the US dollar bill. Such symbols and patterns are at the heart of Orientalist myth, Occidental fascination and Capitalist economy. The sculpture - a yellow neon sign, an invention of western consumerist culture, shows 'For Sale' flashing in an arabesque design, internalizing the discourse of the commodification of such binaries within Pakistan and the contemporary Arab world.