Cityscape from a Point

Damon Kowarsky, an Australian artist, is a known name in the Pakistani art circle. He came to Pakistan and stayed in Lahore to learn miniature painting. “If you look at the city from here” is the title of his current show at Twelve Gates art gallery in New York. The show will end on April 28, 2012. This is his first solo show in the US.
For the past eight years the theme of the city has featured prominently in the work of Damon Kowarsky. For Kowarsky the city excites because of its collective and universal character and the great variety of its forms. These range from mud brick to steel but as all serve similar functions,  there are similarities despite the otherwise enormous differences in language and culture.

His friends in Pakistan commented that etchings of Mexico City reminded them of Lahore, and of memories of “sleeping outdoors on the roof on hot summer nights, wishing upon shooting stars and storytelling.” Kowarsky says, “It is these connections that interest me as much as the unique characteristics of each place – the local and the universal, the timeless and the specific.”

“Over time my interest in the city has changed. What began with images of traditional mud brick and stone housing inspired by travels in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia has moved steadily towards the modern metropolis and a technological future. Influences including Japanese anime and films like Bladerunner have found a place in my work. This progression is partly the result of practice. The modern city is complicated and requires patience and drawing skills I did not possess a few years ago. It is also prompted by a desire to explore all areas of our architectural and urban environment. There is much that is unique and wondrous in the old but what we build today has many of the same qualities – if only we take the time to stop and look.”

The show at Twelve Gates brings together miniature paintings on vasli, etchings, and charcoal drawings. The works are based on Kowarsky’s travels to cities in America and the Indian sub-continent. Cities such as Jodhpur, Lahore, Chicago, New York, and Cairo are culturally and geographically distinct from each other yet Kowarsky’s drawings and renditions bind them together on a human level.

Sometimes the urban landscapes are superimposed by a solitary, pensive, and introspective figure. Even without a human figure the works have an undeniable human presence. The title of the exhibition comes from a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Coalescing the poetic renditions of Faiz with Kowarsky’s cities is an experimental curatorial decision aimed at highlighting the various parallelisms inherent in this exhibition.

Speaking of the conception of the images in his work and their execution, Kowarsky says:
“The colours often come from the places I visit. One of the most characteristic things about the Mughal architecture of Pakistan and India is the use of red sandstone. It is as iconic as the bluestone of Melbourne or limestone of Sydney and contributes strongly to the sense of place both in the buildings and my prints.” [Source: http://blog.paulwruiz.com/]

Damon Kowarsky studied printmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne and Glasgow School of Art, and Advanced Figure Drawing with Godwin Bradbeer at RMIT University, Melbourne. In 2007 he taught drawing at Beaconhouse National University Lahore and studied miniature painting under Murad Mumtaz and Mahreen Zuberi. In 2010 he taught printmaking at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture Karachi. Recipient of many international awards and residencies, Kowarsky recently undertook a residency in Cairo as part of his 2008 Toyota Community Spirit Artist Travel.