Art and the Everyday: Abdul Halik Azeez’s day dreamer you are

In the second part of a conversation between Sri Lankan artist Abdul Halik Azeez and Ketaki Varma, they continue their discussion about his recent solo day dreamer you are. Azeez explains how he created the film Circumambulation, the only moving-image element in an exhibition composed of still images and how his curatorial practice has evolved since his first solo seven years ago.

Ketaki Varma (KV): The film Circumambulation acts as an anchor or resting place of sorts within the exhibition day dreamer you are that consists primarily of still images. Could you tell us a little bit about this?

Abdul Halik Azeez (AHA): When I was stuck in the first lockdown last year, I was living in an apartment in Colombo, and the scene in the film is the view from my room. That area is interesting because there are a lot of apartment complexes there, but it is has a lot of life. During the pandemic, I could observe how life changed for people who were stuck indoors and how they learned to adapt. So, people who wanted to go for walks or exercise began spending time on their rooftops since they could not go outside. There was a shifting of life, therefore, from the lower level to the upper level. And in the video, if you look closely, you can see different kinds of activities in different parts of those rooftops. I was intrigued by this, because the frame was like a still image, but with elements of movement. A lot of my pictures also focus on microcosms and how they relate to micro areas.  A lot of the pictures that I have blown up, for instance, are micro situations. I am very interested in the details—the small things that are happening in those micro spaces and the relationship between them—because to me, those really speak to a broader idea of urban society.

I thought about how the outside world had become so still and quiet while the indoors was simultaneously gloomy and chaotic, as we ended up doomscrolling through the bad news that came in every single day. So, in this strange virtual world, we had to find ways of making personal connections. I was also reflecting on the digital duality of the times we are living in.

 

KV: In what ways do you think your curatorial practice has shifted or developed from your first solo exhibition Colombedouin (2014) to now? 

AHA: Earlier, I used to just take photographs and put them on Instagram; I used to only think about the image and the caption. When the Saskia Fernando Gallery asked me to do a show, I was very grateful as that really kick-started my career and I began to think of myself as a photographer. Now, about seven years later, I have somewhat understood what it means to speak through art, to use art as language, to understand the medium better and see art as a way of producing knowledge.

My practice has also become much more multilinear. Colombedouin just had images, but since then I have started working with video, zines and drawings. Using other forms like new media and art, I have developed a more miscellaneous approach to mediums and space, and I have become less afraid of putting these things out there.

All works by Abdul Halik Azeez. All images courtesy of the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery.