Abdullah M. I. Syed
Currency of Love Archery ‘one of the three Manly Sports’, Mongolia Tögröa (10 Mongo), (Observe/Reverse), 2022
hand-cut bank notes on pure pigment print on Rag paper, 24-karat gold leaf
13 x 18 cm (paper)
The Ground of Memory Play draws from the artist’s memories of growing up playing Indigenous and modern sports on the streets, public gardens and his home courtyard of Karachi, Pakistan...
The Ground of Memory Play draws from the artist’s memories of growing up playing Indigenous and modern sports on the streets, public gardens and his home courtyard of Karachi, Pakistan (where he was born and raised). Having parents who were sports enthusiasts – his father had dashed hopes of becoming a cricketer, and his mother completed track and field at school – they carried a wish for one of their children to become a successful athlete.
Despite his love for modern team sports such as cricket, Syed struggled to fit in. He instead found an affinity in Indigenous sports that are played across the globe in varied forms including in Pakistan where it is now treated as ‘poor people’s games.’ These include Kancha (playing glass ball), Patang Bazi (kite-flying) and Gulli Danda, a game that originated in the Indian Subcontinent 2500 years ago. Some reckon the latter served as the origin of modern-day cricket. Moreover, the Islamic ideal that parents name one male child in the family as “Abdullah” (i.e. the artist’s name), and learn sports ranging in archery, horseback riding and swimming, led Syed to explore them again in his adult life as part of his research on Islamic masculinity.
Syed has been conveying his memories of the trials and tribulations of learning and playing various sports in various artwork series. Ground of Memory Play presents them as a mixed media installation that collectively captures a personal narrative of loss, family gathering, remembrance, joy, and belonging.
In his ongoing “Currency of Love” series, the artist photographed broken and damaged money plant leaves from his mother’s courtyard garden. He then mends each printed leaf with 24c gold and banknotes of images of Indigenous and modern sports and games. Images of various gilded sports equipment and the green-coloured wall of Syed’s Karachi playground carry an emotional and personal connection to memories of his parents, childhood and his desire to preserve his cultural heritage. Whereas in “Forbidden Fruits’ series, carved and assembled cricket balls in various forms - from a bird’s nest and pomegranate to a hand grenade - Syed laments the gradual loss of innocence, fair play, joy, and traditions due to the modern-day politics of greed, racism, nationalism, violence, and corruption.
Despite his love for modern team sports such as cricket, Syed struggled to fit in. He instead found an affinity in Indigenous sports that are played across the globe in varied forms including in Pakistan where it is now treated as ‘poor people’s games.’ These include Kancha (playing glass ball), Patang Bazi (kite-flying) and Gulli Danda, a game that originated in the Indian Subcontinent 2500 years ago. Some reckon the latter served as the origin of modern-day cricket. Moreover, the Islamic ideal that parents name one male child in the family as “Abdullah” (i.e. the artist’s name), and learn sports ranging in archery, horseback riding and swimming, led Syed to explore them again in his adult life as part of his research on Islamic masculinity.
Syed has been conveying his memories of the trials and tribulations of learning and playing various sports in various artwork series. Ground of Memory Play presents them as a mixed media installation that collectively captures a personal narrative of loss, family gathering, remembrance, joy, and belonging.
In his ongoing “Currency of Love” series, the artist photographed broken and damaged money plant leaves from his mother’s courtyard garden. He then mends each printed leaf with 24c gold and banknotes of images of Indigenous and modern sports and games. Images of various gilded sports equipment and the green-coloured wall of Syed’s Karachi playground carry an emotional and personal connection to memories of his parents, childhood and his desire to preserve his cultural heritage. Whereas in “Forbidden Fruits’ series, carved and assembled cricket balls in various forms - from a bird’s nest and pomegranate to a hand grenade - Syed laments the gradual loss of innocence, fair play, joy, and traditions due to the modern-day politics of greed, racism, nationalism, violence, and corruption.
