Integrated realities.

KARACHI -- The prescient nature of art and literature cannot be underestimated. It was in the former half of the 20th century that George Orwell wrote a remarkable novel, 1984, in which he highlights the issue of mass surveillance against an oppressive political backdrop. A little more than 70 years later, the premise of the book holds true, especially in a built-up framework. In the 21st century, the definition of Big Brother assumes a new form on a frequent basis but with the same authoritarian heavy-handedness.

An exhibition of Seema Nusrat's works titled Studies in Integrated Facades is underway at the Canvas Art Gallery. It, pretty poignantly, touches upon the same subject with visual panache.

Nusrat has mainly used acrylic sheets as her medium. This goes to show that the message she's trying to put across is to do with the field of construction. Here, if one was to philosophise the topic, the verb 'construct' in the artistic sense can be focused on. It also refers to the phrase 'social construct'.

At this point, it would be apt to pick Nusrat's brain: 'Our environment has become increasingly unpredictable in recent years...